Protector
by Serendipity
Summary: How much is Willow willing to sacrifice in order to fulfill her destiny?
1. Protector 1

**PART ONE**

Gritting his teeth, Angel slammed the stake into one vampire's chest while kicking another one aside. 

Masked temporarily by the dusty explosion, he spun and ducked, narrowly missing the attack of a third, previously unseen vampire. Although fatigue gnawed at his muscles and a sharp steady pain shot up from the deep gash in his arm, he managed to fend off the two remaining attackers with a few expert kicks and punches. Unfortunately, judging from the distant growls his sensitive hearing had picked up, he was fairly certain that reinforcements were on their way. 

And who said L.A. was boring? A vicious blow to the head sent him flying before he could come up with a coherent response. Groaning, Angel mananged to roll over just in time to avoid the sharp piece of wood that embedded itself in the soft earth right where his heart would have been. And the fun just keeps on coming. 

Dragging himself to his feet, he managed to turn around just in time to see five other dark figures rushing his way. Three months of patrolling and I get nothing. Why the warm reception now? Snarling, he pulled himself up and braced for impact as two of the figures launched themselves at him. Knocked backwards into a tree, Angel managed to squeeze past one of his opponents, only to be caught in a headlock by the other. Wincing at the gash in his upper lip, he spit out the sweet coppery fluid that gushed into his mouth, threatening to choke him in his prone position. 

"Well well well, if it isn't my dearly departed sire Angel? Come to spread the love in the City of Angels? How bloody quaint." 

Angel's dark brown eyes narrowed dangerously at the ground, "Spike…" he growled softly. 

Clucking disapprovingly, the other man continued, "Now, here I am, miles away from Sunnyhell like I promised that blonde whore of a slayer, plotting world domination from the comfort and quiet of Los Angeles and who do I bump into yet AGAIN?" 

His mind racing for a way out, Angel ignored the peroxide vampire's musings. 

"My absolute favorite wanker in the world, that's who." Walking past his captive, Spike reached down to yank a handful of dark hair upwards, "What's the matter? She dump you? I tell you, Angel, women are so fickle.I wouldn't worry though, mate. I hear she was a bitch of a lay." 

Subtley testing the strength of the vampire holding him, Angel had to swallow down his frustration against the iron grip. 

"I'll have you know that your disasterous relationship with her nearly cost me my Dru." Sharply pulling Angel's head further, his voice became darker, "I don't take kindly to that." 

As he gritted his teeth to block out the pain, Angel could do little more than raise an eyebrow. 

Yawning, as if bored from the lack of reaction he was getting, Spike released his hair, "Anyway, no time for chitchat, mate. As much as I do enjoy this utter lack of conversation, it seems whenever we engage in witty banter, you manage to get away. No, I'm sick of this game and I'm even more sick of you. Besides, I owe that slayer big time." Shrugging, he spun around, his black duster floating through the air, and threw the command casually over his shoulder, "Stake him, Gabriel." 

NO! As he struggled with the vampire holding him, Angel quickly realized that he would still be a fraction of a second too late to save himself, but even in these last split seconds of cognizant life, his body kicked into full-fledged survival mode. 

Launching his shoulder into the vampire's solar plexus, he had just managed to loosen his captor's hold when he heard the tell-tale woosh of a stake rapidly descending just over his head. Pausing to squeeze his eyes shut, Angel tried to think of a prayer to say before dying just in case there was, by any possible miracle, a chance to save himself from eternal damnation. Perhaps he could think of one that would barter his sentence down to just a few centuries of burning in hell instead… 

At the last possible second, as the hairs on his neck rose with anticipation of the impending blow, the stake from above changed direction and clattered harmlessly to the side, bouncing a few feet away into the grass. Pushing back a wave of shock in order to mull it over at a more convenient time, Angel took this opportunity to complete his escape. Before he could even turn around, though, several clouds of dust erupted around him as the vampires who had attacked started to disappear in record time. It wasn't until he'd gotten a chance to retrieve the fallen stake and pinpoint the source of the chaos swirling around him that he was able to totally rule out divine intervention. 

He watched in awe as a figure clad in black bounded through the space around him, leaving destruction in her wake. At least he * thought * it was a girl. With her slighter figure and long, graceful limbs, he doubted his savior was male. In fact, if it wasn't for the smaller build, Angel would have sworn that this girl was Buffy in disguise, judging strictly from her speed and accuracy. 

Covered in black cloth from head to toe, he couldn't really tell who she was either way. Nothing stuck out, not even to his well trained eyes. Every strand of hair had been tucked away under the full-length outfit. Even her eyes were covered by a thin black veil. 

Her startled yelp of pain jolted him out of his revelry and he ran towards her just as Spike tore the stake out of her hand, his arm wrapped tightly around her neck. 

"Alright, princess, and who the hell do you think you are?" Reaching forward, he grasped for her headgear but her body suddenly glowed a bright white. Almost immediately, it was his turn to howl in agony. Quickly, Spike whipped his arm off of her neck and backed away in anger, "You want to see magic, you bloody wench? I've got some of the blackest magic you'll ever see." His eyes glowed a bright yellow. 

"You want a fight? Fight me." Angel's voice rumbled from behind. 

Spinning, Spike found himself directly between Angel and this newcomer, alone, and distinctly outnumbered. His companions could be accounted for by numbering the piles of dust around him. Slowly, the yellow light in his eyes faded to be replaced by an arrogant smirk. "Watch your back, luv," he spat softly. And with that, he retreated into the night. 

"Are you alrig-," Angel started only to find himself staring at the rapidly retreating back of the girl who had saved him, "No! Wait!" he called, running after her. 

Chasing her for a few blocks, after running between alleys and long, winding streets, he finally managed to catch up with her only to find himself in front of his own apartment. 

"Wh-who are you?" he managed to stammer after a few moments of awed silence. 

"It's almost dawn. Get inside. Don't patrol alone anymore. Not safe." Came the hissed response. 

Although he could swear that there was something vaguely familiar about her-perhaps it was her scent-she was gone before he could even respond. Erupting into a fiery mass of sparkles, she vanished into thin air. 

Staring into the darkness for a few moments he slowly shook his head. Nope, not boring. Not boring at all. 

** 

Two hours later, Willow Rosenberg awoke from a trance-like state with a start. She found herself sitting in front of her mirror in her bedroom, dressed in her pale lavender nightgown. 

Facing her tired reflection, she gingerly ran her fingers through her hair to sooth the messy red strands that stuck out angrily from all sides. Flinching slightly, she looked down at her palm, only to find it torn and blistered. 

Trembling, Willow turned slowly and glanced at her alarm clock, trying to hold back her gasp of horror as she gazed at the red numbers proclaiming the time. 

One week. 

Seven nights. 

Each night, she had woken up to find herself in the exact same position at the exact same time. 

Each night, she had been plagued by only the vaguest memories of where she'd been or what she'd done. 

Each night, she'd prayed that the few scraps of memories she retained were really just dreams. 

Her eyes filled with tears as she rose quietly so as not to disturb her parents. Clutching her injured hand, she slowly made her way into the bathroom. 

She bit back the painful sobs that rose in the back of her throat as her salty tears splashed down upon the raw blistered skin of her palm. 

She now had proof. 

This was no dream. 

** 

Outside, a lone man stood inconspicuously across the street, staring up at a teenage girl's window. 

Lighting another cigar, he calmly dragged on it while tugging the worn fedora on his head further down over his eyes. 

He waited until her light went out and the sun had risen fully into the sky before he walked away, whistling softly into the retreating darkness. 

**PART TWO**

Squinting at the brightness of the computer screen in the pitch black of her room, Willow leaned forward to adjust the contrast. Still somewhat daunted by the events of the past week, she'd spent most of the afternoon and all of the evening checking up on local newspapers for unexplained crimes or disappearances. So far, she'd checked both Sunnydale as well as the surrounding towns lying within a 50 mile radius and had come up with nothing beyond the occasional vampire attack disguised as gang violence. Stretching, she rubbed her neck tiredly and fingered the gold cross she'd taken to wearing these past few days At least I know I'm not one of them… It was raining outside. Sheets of cold hard pellets battered against the pavement and lawns outside making Willow all the happier that she'd chosen to stay in tonight. Feeling a bit awkward, she'd declined Buffy's offer to 'go Bronzing' in order to catch up on some long overdue 'work'. After enduring a few playful jibes from Xander over her studiousness on a Friday night, she'd quietly excused herself from the library and beat a hasty retreat home. 

It was nearly midnight and a familiar unsettled feeling invaded the pit of her stomach as she glanced at her clock. She had begun to truly dread going to sleep. It's the weekend…maybe I can just stay up all night… Sighing, she buried her head in her hands Yeah. Maybe I can stay up all night for tonight. But I'll have to sleep at some point. Although she'd been reluctant to do it for fear of finding out that whatever was happening to her was evil or irreversible, Willow knew she had no choice. 

Tomorrow, I go see Giles. 

** 

"Time check." Xander yelled over the blare of the music as he sat down at the tiny corner table. 

"12:15" his blonde companion reaffirmed after a glance at the delicate silver watch around her wrist. 

"Hah. And the night is still young!" He pounded on the table jubilantly, "45 minutes til' curfew. Wanna dance?" 

"Can't. I patrol in 15 minutes. I want to make an appearance nice and fresh. The vampires, they like." She smiled at him brightly. "I'd invite you to come with me but a. You might get hurt and b. I'm out until 4 which is way past your bedtime, Xander." 

"Well, if Willow had come along, I could have used her as a sleepover alibi and none of us would even HAVE stupid curfews." He responded in irritation. 

"Xander, with or without Willow, if your parents had the slightest clue of what went on around here, you'd be home-schooled." 

"That's besides the point." 

"Come on, SkyHawk, I'll walk you home." 

"Could you PLEASE not call me that?" 

Snorting, she shook her head, "Geez Xander, a litt- Oh crap." Her eyes widened at the sight of the short man standing near the back entrance of the club. 

"What?" Xander followed her gaze, "You know him?" 

"Yes." She responded sourly, "Wait here. I'll be right back." 

As she rapidly made her way towards him, they made eye contact. He sent her a lazy smile and she had to resist the urge to slap him silly. "What the hell do you think you're doing here?" 

"Nice to see you too, blondie." 

"Is it Angel? What's going on?" 

"Nope. Not Angel. And you don't need to worry, I was just leaving." Turning away from her, he pushed the door open. 

"Whistler, where is he?" she said, just loud enough for him to hear. 

Shaking his head, the demon turned back and shrugged, "Safe. For once, he's safe. I'm sorry, but that's all I can tell you. I really do gotta go." 

Nodding slowly, she blinked back the tears in her eyes as she watched him leave, the rusty metal door creaking shut behind him. 

** 

"I will stay up, I will stay up, I will stay up." Willow whispered the mantra softly to herself as she hopped up and down to invigorate her exhausted limbs. 

Walking back and forth tiredly, she turned her sore, bloodshot eyes distastefully to her computer before moaning in defeat. "I've gotta get out of here. I can't look at my monitor anymore." 

Quietly making her way downstairs, she opened up her refrigerator and stared blankly at the contents. 

Shutting it, she made her way into her living room and flopped down on the couch. Turning on the television was absolutely out of the question. Her parents would wake up in a matter of seconds. She had tried it once when she was younger with the volume on mute and had been caught within half an hour. 

Music? She'd lent her discman to Xander. 

Rolling her eyes, she pulled herself back up and walked over to the window. It had stopped raining a while back and the street outside glistened in silent brilliance. Wish I could go for a walk. She stared forlornly out into the night. Too bad I can't cause I'd…well…die. 

Just as she was turning away to go upstairs, a man suddenly popped up on the other side of the glass, tapping on it to get her attention. Jumping back, Willow clamped her hands over her mouth to muffle her horrified scream. 

'Sorry.' He mouthed from the other side, 'Willow. Open the door.' 

Staring numbly at him, she shook her head. A coward, yes. A moron, no. 

Sighing, he withdrew a cross from his pocket and held it in his hand up to the window. Then, switching the cross to the other hand, he held up his unscathed palm. 'Open the door. We need to talk.' 

Unimpressed, she shook her head again He may not be a vampire but who the heck knows what he might be? A-a warlock or a demon or a-a bug man or something…. 

Giving her an exasperated look, he searched in his jacket pocket for one last thing. His trump card. Smiling to himself, he pulled out a black hood with a thin black veil over the eye holes and plastered it up to the window. 

Within seconds, he heard the click of a door being unlocked. ** 

Sitting on the edge of her bed, Willow Rosenberg was pretty sure she was going to throw up. 

Whistler sighed, and twirled his hat idly on his finger while waiting for her response. He'd been glad that the conditioning had worked and that the sight of the black hood had jogged her memory as to who he was, but it still didn't make the truth any easier for her to handle. Why are they so damn young these days? She's just a kid. 

"When do…when do we leave?" She finally managed to gasp out. 

"Tomorrow night before sunset." He responded calmly. 

"I can't tell anyone, right?" 

"No goodbyes." He affirmed, averting his gaze to the opposite wall so as to avoid the silent heave of her shoulders. 

The room became deathly quiet as he patiently waited for her to come to terms with her position. As her new mentor, it was his responsibility to not only guide her, but also to allow her time deal with things on her own. 

Gingerly, she rubbed the spot right below her left hip. It was almost as if the small circular mark that resided there was now capable of burning her fingers through the thin cotton of her nightgown. She didn't know how she'd missed it so many times before…this tiny mark that now dictated her future and her destiny. Abruptly, Willow stood up and nodded. "How much stuff can I take?" She turned to face him, resolve face firmly into place. 

"Whatever you want. Whatever we can carry. They won't be able to find you where we're going." He supressed a smile at her expression Maybe they didn't make a mistake when they chose this one. 

Wrapping an arm protectively around her slender waist, she dropped her gaze to the carpet again, "You know…I still have…a ton of questions…." 

"They'll have to wait. It'll be dawn in a few hours, Willow. Get some rest. Enjoy today. I'll come pick you up at around 6." 

So, it's just that easy for him, huh? she tried to keep the bitterness out of her thoughts but it was hard. "Yeah…" she mumbled softly even though she burned inside from unexpressed anger. 

Almost as if sensing her thoughts, he placed a hand on her shoulder, "Thank you, Willow." He whispered softly, "I'll show myself out." 

His appreciation startled her slightly and she turned to look at him, but he was already gone. 

** 

"Could there be another slayer around?" Cordelia cocked her head to one side. 

"No, I don't think so," Angel responded thoughtfully, "As far as I know, Faith is still alive and so is Buffy." 

"And you're sure it wasn't one of them?" she prodded him gently. 

"Positive, Cordy. She was smaller and her technique wasn't quite the same. Watchers tend to train out of the same book. What I saw didn't resemble the product of Council influence." 

"Weird." The brunette shrugged, "Well, at least it's a good thing that she was there. She seems to be one of the good guys." 

"She is." Offered a voice from the shadows. 

Angel's head shot up at the sound and turned to greet the newcomer, "Where have you been? I've been looking for you for the past two days. How do you know ab-," 

"I think congratulations are in order, Angel." Stepping forward, Whistler drew a cigar out of his pocket and passed it to the vampire. 

"What are you talki-," 

"You, my friend, are not going to believe this." The smaller demon spoke through clenched teeth as he held his cigar in place while drawing out a lighter. 

"Believe what?" Cordelia broke in, "Is this a good believe or a bad believe? 

"Angel has a Protector," Whistler responded simply before puffing thoughtfully on the cigar and stepping towards the window. 

"A-A…A what?" she demanded. 

"I-I…I can't…" if possible, the vampire had gotten paler than normal, "Whistler, what do you mean?" 

"Bad believe?" Cordelia guessed. 

"Good believe." Whistler corrected, "Very good believe." 

Shaking his head vigorously, Angel stood, "No, this isn't right. I thought that only saints and holy men had Protectors. That isn't possible." 

Shrugging, Whistler continued to stare out the window, "Well, since a freak snowstorm in California on the night of your attempted suicide wasn't enough to convince you, I guess they tried to go a step further this time around. It should be obvious by now." 

"Okay, the snowstorm on Christmas? You had something to do with that?" Cordelia looked at Angel, confused. 

"N-no." Angel responded, his throat suddenly dry, "I-I didn't…I mean, even if it did….I mean, it was a lucky coincidence." 

"Deny it all you want, kid, it doesn't change the truth." 

"And that would be?" Cordelia stared at both men impatiently. 

"For all your simpering and brooding about eternal damnation, Angel, someone upstairs is looking out for you. For some reason they've sent someone down here to protect your sorry ass." 

Angel didn't respond, dumbfounded. 

Chuckling, Whistler glanced at his protégé. 

"And let me tell ya, man…she's real cute."


	2. Protector 2

**PART THREE**

It was 5:30 and Willow still couldn't believe how fast the day had gone by. As she packed her spellbooks into a small box along with her candles and incense, she resigned herself to the fact that it wasn't working. She wasn't feeling a damn thing. It was as if she had become totally numb to the concept that she was truly leaving Sunnydale for good. By lunchtime, she'd given up mentally poking herself into trying harder to make her few remaining hours 'special'. Therefore, by the end, it had turned out to be a relatively normal day. She hadn't dressed up. She hadn't been overly chatty or overly withdrawn throughout the morning. During study hall, she hadn't hounded her friends for extra attention or buried her nose in a book for the hour or passed an unusually large number of notes. She hadn't even broken down into an emotional heap after the last bell rang signally the end of classes for the day. Essentially, she decided to leave Sunnydale the same way as she'd existed there: as a person true to herself. 

Which still doesn't make it any easier to say goodbye… she sighed as she collected her photo album and jewelry case. At least I have Angel to keep me company in L.A. The thought brightened her disposition somewhat. She wasn't really sure how well he was taking the news Most likely, not to well at all… She knew, however, that when all was said and done, he would grudgingly accept her help. Not that he has any choice. She narrowed her eyes at her reflection Not that either of us do. 

Surveying her suitcases and boxes packed neatly near the door, Willow realized that she really didn't have anything left to do but sit and wait for Whistler to pick her up. 

Mulling over the facts of her predicament, she still felt as if she was being kept in the dark. The specifics of her duty were still somewhat vague to her, but being a resourceful and intelligent young woman, she'd spent a few hours the night before doing a bit of research over the internet. From the little information she'd gathered, it appeared that a Protector was a person, who could be either male or female (unlike slayers who were predominantly girls), who was chosen to defend the life of another individual. The person the Protector would have to defend tended to have either humanitarian and/or religious ties as well as a pivotal role in history. 

Evidently, it was an honor to be chosen for such an admirable job. Although she was still somewhat confused as to who chose her or why they did, Willow couldn't help but feel a small twinge of pride over her position someplace deep underneath her constant fear. With all the Evil she had seen throughout her life living on the Hellmouth, she was glad that Goodness had a few more people to call upon for back up. 

"Willow?" 

Startled, she looked up only to see Whistler standing in front of her, hat in hand, smirking slightly, "I knocked a few times but you didn't respond so I let myself in. Ready to go?" 

Swallowing hard, she stood up, "Yeah. Just let me grab my b-," looking around, she gasped, "Where are my bags?" 

He shrugged and headed down the stairs, "In the car. Don't worry about it. Let's go." 

Picking up her purse, she nodded to no one in particular. 

"Okay. Leaving," she whispered softly before closing the door of her room and following him out, never once turning back. 

** 

It had been about two hours since Whistler had left and twenty minutes since Angel had slammed out of the apartment for some private sulking time in the sewers. 

Still slightly in a daze, Cordelia Chase sat alone in her cozy dark living room with the shades pulled and a small fire burning. Angel still didn't suspect that she had, indeed, known more about Whistler's surprise announcement than she had let on before. Thank you seventh grade drama camp. She thought dryly. It was a good thing that he still underestimated her intelligence or else he may have caught on. 

In his awe and excitement to have been assigned a Protector, the vampire had fallen head first into the idea of getting to meet her. He'd gotten as far as trying to straighten out living arrangements and training schedules before he finally remembered to ask Whistler when she would be joining them. 

"She's not." He responded coolly from his position near the window. 

"I don't think I understand…" Angel began cautiously. 

"The Council of Elders have decided that the two of you aren't to have any unnecessary contact. You aren't to seek her out or try to uncover her identity. She'll be the one to initiate contact when you need her." 

"What?" Angel's voice took on a dangerous edge. 

"The decision wasn't made by me, Angel. It was made by C.O.E. on the basis of safety, both hers and yours." 

"Safety? What the hell do you mean safety? Isn't the POINT of her being appointed as a Protector SAFETY? Who is this girl? What are you hiding from me? I KNEW there was something wrong with this wh-," 

Cordelia sighed. 

In the end, it had turned into a huge fight. She'd never seen Angel so openly upset. Whistler had been as tight-lipped as ever and it was a good thing that the vampire hadn't chosen to direct his questions at her or else she would have been tempted to divulge what she knew. 

Luckily however, she hadn't been pressed for information and she hadn't accidentally given anything away either. 

Shifting, she pulled closer to the fire, trying to chase away the cold, unsettled feeling in the pit of her stomach. 

"I only hope we're doing the right thing…" 

** 

They were just turning the corner of her street when Willow noticed it, "I thought the highway was that way," she pointed in the opposite direction. 

"It is. We have to make a pit stop first." 

"Where?" 

"Sunnydale High School Library." 

"Wh-what? But we can't!" All of a sudden, her numbness flew from her body and she felt like she might be sick, "It's still pretty early. Giles is probably still there. If we try to get in, he'll see us! There's no way we can get past him." 

"That's what I'm hoping for." 

In shock, she simply looked at him, her green eyes wide in horror, "What do you mean?" 

Shaking his head, he stared forward solemnly, "You'll see." 

** 

Having attuned himself to living on the Hellmouth, Giles was prepared for visitors well before the old wooden doors to the library creaked open. He wasn't, however, prepared for the couple he saw before him. 

"Willow?" he asked cautiously. 

The redhead looked away. 

"Whistler?" He looked at her companion, "What are you doing here?" 

Willow's mouth dropped open, "You know him?" 

"I am here, Watcher, on official business," Whistler's normally casual demeanor had suddenly become stiffly formal. 

"Which is…?" Uneasily, Giles removed his glasses. 

"I have come to relieve you of your charge, Willow Rosenberg." 

The librarian's eye's widened, horror flooding his normally neutral features, "You're what?" 

"She's been marked by the Council Of Elders. She's leaving with me tonight." Whistler's voice remained calm and firm. 

To his credit, the Watcher recovered quickly, "Marked for what? Leaving for where? For how long?" 

"Our destination can't be shared for safety purposes and the length of her commitment to us has yet to be determined, but I can tell you that she's been marked as a Protector." 

Abruptly, Giles sat down, 

"A…a Protector?" he mumbled, almost too softly for anyone to hear him. Shaking his head slightly he stared at his desk, "May I ask who she has been assigned to protect?" 

Taking a deep breath, Whistler braced himself for the impending blow out. 

"Angel." He responded. 

The Watcher didn't disappoint. 

"Pardon?" Giles shot back up again, a dangerous look in his eyes, "Do you mind repeating that?" Without even bothering for a response he surged forward, "HOW DARE YOU!?" He shouted all of a sudden, startling the demon and causing Willow to jump back at the sudden appearance of Ripper. "Why you tiny, impotent, pathetic excuse for a-," 

Whistler bristled slightly and drew himself back up. "If you have a problem with it, take it before the C.O.E." 

Ignoring him, Giles stalked slowly around his desk, "How DARE you use her talents and waste them on the defense of a bloody killer." 

"Do you want to start a war over this, Watcher? Our Councils-," 

"I will not stand to see her risking her life to save someone who went to hell once already and damn well should have stayed there." 

"Our Councils have been at peace for over 500 years. Are you going to wage a war over a single girl-," 

"A single girl? A SINGLE GIRL? She's the next Immortal Watcher and you damn well know it! You and your entire council of bloody bastards know it!" Giles shouted, his face contorted in fury. 

Abruptly, silence reigned over the library. 

Judging from the sound of blood rushing past her ears, Willow was fairly certain that she was going to faint very soon. This is some kind of horrible mistake. Some sick twisted nightmare of a mistake… 

It was Whistler who finally broke the silence, "I'm sorry. It can't be helped." 

His eyes snapping wildly, Giles' voice grew harsh, "Funny, that sounds like the same thing I plan on telling your council of thieves when they find your worthless little carcass out-," 

"She was MARKED." Whistler thundered, louder than his smaller frame should have allowed. "She was rightfully marked by the Council of Elders and if she was this important to the Watchers, you should have marked her years ago." 

"So help me GOD, if you even try and leave this library with her, I will kill you myself-," 

"STOP!" Willow finally screamed. "Stop it now or I walk out on both of you." 

Both men immediately halted in mid-breath. 

"Stop…" she whimpered softly, "Please…just stop…" She was sick of it all. Sick and tired of the whole mess. Half of what she had heard, she still couldn't believe, let alone understand. The other half of what she had heard was still just too much for her to handle. Suddenly she was beginning to feel just how young and inexperienced she really was. 

"Willow," Giles began, trying desperately to get her attention, "You can't leave with him…" 

Wordlessly, Whistler marched up to the library door, "Willow, let's go." 

Tearfully, she lifted her gaze to the exit. 

"Willow, look at me. Don't listen to him. Your place is here." Giles demanded again. 

She glanced at him, but her timid gaze was pulled yet again back to Whistler, almost as if she couldn't physically get away from him. As if they were reading her thoughts, her feet slowly took a step towards the door, as if through their own accord. 

"Willow, no!" the desparation in the librarian's voice was almost painful, "Please…you can't do this. You can't just accept this and run off…I swear, had I known…had I been able to tell you beforehand, I would have, but it wasn't the right time." 

Slowly, Willow stepped back into place and faced Giles. 

"It still isn't the right time." Whistler responded softly. 

"Willow stay with me where you're supposed to." The watcher beckoned to her, "We still have so much to do. We have so much to discuss, so much for us to discover together. If you go with him, you might die before you'll ever reach your full potential." 

"Willow, come with me now and you may be able to fulfill your destiny." Whistler countered, "Stay here and Angel dies for certain." 

At their words, something deep inside of her flashed. 

Slowly, she shook her head, clearing away her pain and fear. 

"No." she said quietly but with unwavering strength. 

It was in that instant that she made up her mind as to which course she would follow and which destiny she would pursue. 

And so, bravely and calmly she made her choice. 

No hesitation. 

No arguments. 

It wasn't until that day that she truly understood the depth of her power and the boundlessness of her abilities. 

It wasn't until that brilliant moment of clarity that she took up the reigns of her own life and took complete control of her actions. 

It wasn't until 3 hours later when she was safely in L.A. with Whistler that she finally allowed herself to cry. 

**PART FOUR**

She had just finished putting the last of her underwear in her drawer, when she heard a soft knock. "Come in." 

"You decent?" 

Smirking in spite of herself, she turned to face the door, "As decent as I'm going to get." 

Whistler poked his head into the room, "Good. You like the place?" 

Glancing around at her spacious bedroom, she noted the old fashioned fireplace, gorgeous cream canopy bed and vibrant pictures covering the walls, "I couldn't love it any more." She smiled at him sincerely. Ever since the episode in the library, an odd calm had settled over her. For the first time in a very long time, Willow felt in control of her life. She decided that, if anything, she may as well make the best of her situation. She was also looking forward to seeing Angel again. 

"Well, it's yours. Make yourself at home. Dinner's on the table. Come on down when you finish up here." 

"I gotta admit, this isn't really what I expected…" she responded. 

"What isn't?" he pushed the door open a bit wider and leaned on the doorframe, regarding her carefully. 

"Well…let's see…" she bit her lip, trying to recall all the things she'd seen, "Large screen tv, brand new computer, full internet access, fax machine, my own cell-phone, CD player, the biggest entertainment center I've ever seen, these beautiful bright pictures all over the walls, plush carpeting…should I go on?" 

Shrugging, Whistler shook his head, "Well, kid, my sense of style doesn't necessarily have anything to do with how I live. Besides, not everyone can have the terrific sense of color and design that Angel does." He shot her his best broody look, "Black. Old. Depressing." 

Giggling, she shut the drawer to her bureau, "So you don't hate technology like all other good demons?" 

"I never was one for the bandwagon. Anyway, the computer and all that other stuff is for you. The Council of Elders would consummately pee if I used that much of their money on stuff for myself." 

"And the Nintendo 64 in the living room…?" The redhead quirked an eyebrow. 

Whistler looked thoughtful, "That was….a gift. For me. To thank me. For putting up with you." 

Bouncing playfully, Willow started laughing, "So what'd you have to buy Angel to put up with me? Let me guess-a car. Black. With leather interior." 

Slowly, the demon's smile faded, "Yeah. Yeah, a nice car. Look, kid, there's still some stuff we need to talk about. Let's go eat first, though." 

"When do I get to see him?" She asked softly, "He isn't really mad, is he?" 

"Mad? Well…I wouldn't say that he was mad. More upset-at me, definitely not at you." 

"Upset? At you?" She looked puzzled. "Why?" 

"Look kid, the chinese is getting cold downstairs and there's nothing worse than cold fried rice." 

"Fried rice…." Suddenly, she was a million miles away, "That always reminds me of Xander. He used to eat buckets of chicken fried rice. His parents were never around and it was all he'd ever want for dinner when we'd order take out. God, I miss him, already." 

Sighing, Whistler entered her room, pulling the door shut behind him. 

"Okay. Screw it. Let's talk now." 

** 

Stalking around his apartment, Angel fumed in silence. I knew it. I just knew it wasn't possible. There was absolutely no way that I could have a Protector without something being seriously wrong. Somehow, I'm putting this poor girl into danger and Whistler's too much of a cryptic bastard to tell me anything. 

He was starting to realize why certain parts of his own personality had infuriated Buffy so many times before. 

Buffy… Shaking his head, he refused to contemplate his relationship with the slayer In the past. Gotta push it into the past. Given a few centuries, he was fairly certain he could accomplish his goal. 

Staring darkly at the clock, he waited impatiently for the sun to set, "Just fifteen more minutes…" he murmured under his breath. 

Tonight, he was going to get some answers. 

** 

His hand shaking, Giles punched in the number he knew by heart. 

"Good evening, Foster Savings and Loan, how can I help you?" A pleasant voice responded. 

"Yes, this is Rupert Giles, I'd like to order a large…ahhh…" he tried to remember the code exactly, "A large pineapple pizza with onions and anchovies." 

"Just a moment." 

After a short pause, a young man answered the phone, "Wesley Wyndham-Price." 

"Oh for the love of God…" the obscenties that followed the librarian's complaint were muttered too softly for the man on the other end to hear, "Price, you idiot, where in bloody hell is Patrick?" 

"Pardon? And who may I be speaking too?" 

"Why you prissy little…Rupert Giles, you ninny! Stop answering calls in Patrick's office and hand him the phone you little brown-noser." 

"Well, if someone isn't in a bad mood," the Watcher sniffed. 

"You have no idea." Giles growled. 

"How do I know if you're really the real Rupert Giles or if you're just someone trying to impersonate Rupert Giles, hmm?" Wesley's voice took on an almost sadistic quality, "Perhaps I should ask for your identification code an-," 

"Give Patrick the phone or else I'll fax him the prom pictures I have of you and Cordelia Chase." 

"Patrick, here." A gruff voice responded almost immediately. 

"Took damn well long enough, can you get rid of him?" 

"Wesley, get out of my office this instant. What have I told you about hanging around here when I'm not in?" After a few moments of shuffling, Patrick cleared his throat, "Alright, Rupert, sorry about that. What's happened?" 

"Secure channel?" 

"As always." 

"Do you have any idea where Willow Rosenberg has taken off to?" 

"Willow Rosenberg?" his voice took on a strained quality, "The next Immortal Watcher? That Willow Rosenberg?" 

"One and the same." 

"N-no…I haven't. Oh dear lord, Rupert, where is she? What's happened?" 

Snorting, Giles shook his head, "Well old man, your guess is as good as mine." 

** 

Breathing slowly, Willow tried to calm the rapid beating of her heart, "So I can't see him…" she whispered. 

"I'm sorry." Whistler looked down at the floor, unable to meet her eyes. 

"Too dangerous." 

"That's what I've been told." 

"Can you tell me why?" 

"A lot of reasons. One of which is the whole complication with the Watcher's Council." 

"You mean the fact that I'm going to be immortal?" 

"Well, yes, that." 

"How long?" 

"What?" he stared at her, confused. 

"How long am I out here doing this alone?" 

"I don't know yet." 

"How long before I'm immortal?" 

"Two months, 14 days aaaand…" he glanced at his watch, " About nine hours." 

"When I turn eighteen." She looked at him thoughtfully, "And you knew. You and your Council of Elders knew about it all along, just like Giles said." 

"Willow, the fact that you were appointed Angel's Protector has nothing to do with you being Immortal Watcher. At the time, we * didn't * know. It wasn't until after you were marked that it became apparent. You're special for a lot of reasons." 

"So," she stood up, snapping out of her revelry and putting on her resolve face, "Speaking of special, when do I get my powers?" 

"Huh?" he stared at her as she slowly paced in front of him. 

"You know, super strength, speed, invincibility. The ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound, be faster than a speeding bullet, make witty jokes while slaying vampires…when do I get all of those?" She glanced at him expectantly. 

"Uhm…never?" 

"You're kidding." That sickly ache that had been plaguing her all day returned with a fury. 

"Willow, you're not the slayer. Your job isn't to protect the innocent, it's to protect one man's life. If we could choose someone to be duped up with super powers, well, then anyone off the street could be a Protector. The point is, that isn't how it works. You already have everything you need. You're brilliant, caring, a powerful witch and damn funny already. If you were under-qualified the way you are, then you wouldn't be here. All we need to do is sharpen the skills you already have." 

"How?" 

"You dug on school, right?" 

"Most of the time…" 

"Well, you didn't think that becoming a savior for Good was going to get you out of classes, did you?" He sent her a wry smile. 

"Meaning?" 

"Tutors. I have a schedule lined up starting bright and early tomorrow. You'll meet with me for basic training, and then individual instructors who specialize in different areas: martial arts, logic and witchcraft. The curriculum has been tailored to your specific talents. At night, I'll have you come with me to trail Angel on his rounds." 

"Trail him so he doesn't see me…" she clarified, the sadness apparent in her voice. 

"Yeah, something like that." 

A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. Swiftly, Whistler stood, relief etched all over his face. 

"And there's one of your tutors now." 

** 

"Okay, I'm driving us back to your house after we get Willow." Buffy stated firmly while walking down the hall. 

"Why?" Xander whined. 

"I absolutely refuse to be seen in public with you wearing that jacket." 

Looking down at the black and purple coat he had on, he shrugged, "What's wrong with it?" 

"How much time do you have?" 

Rolling his eyes, he followed her into the library, "Seriously, Buffy, I like the jacket." 

"Giles!" the blonde slayer called out, ignoring him, "Willow? You guys in here?" 

"Buffy!" The Watcher emerged, pulling his coat on with one hand while balancing his briefcase with the other, "Good, I called your house. I've been looking for you." 

"Oh no!" She sighed dramatically, "No more evil. Too much evil for one week. I NEED to go out tonight, Giles. The slayage is getting tedious. Just one night to myself. You promised!" 

"I'm leaving." He responded. 

"Okay, okay, forget the night out. I was just kidding. I can do that later, geez…" 

"N-no, Buffy, I'm leaving for a few days. I should be back shortly, but in the interim, I actually WOULD like you to lighten your patrol time." 

Briefly, concern clouded her blue eyes, "It isn't serious is it?" 

"Serious?" He looked torn, "Ahh…no. Not serious. Not serious at all. Just a-a thing I need to get done that just popped up. You keep up house while I'm gone. Xander, you help her." With that, he pushed open the library doors. 

"Wait, G-man, you seen Willow?" the dark-haired boy interrupted. 

The librarian started violently, "Willow? Ahh…no. That is to say, she isn't here. She's….ahh…yes. She's going with me. She's in the…at the…waiting for…ahhh….me….elsewhere." 

"Oh." Buffy cocked her head to one side, "Uhm. Okay." 

"Well, you guys have tweedy fun," Xander nodded, "Tell her I'll see her when she gets back." 

"Quite. Goodbye." 

"Wait, Giles!" Buffy waved her arms emphatically. 

"What, Buffy?" The watcher turned back around, exasperated. 

"Look at Xander's jacket. Opinion?" 

Sparing the teenager a quick glance, he shrugged, "It makes him look like a pimp." And with that, he was gone. 

After a moment of silence, Buffy burst out laughing, "See? Didn't I-?" she began. 

"DON'T say it." Xander warned. 

"Changing the jacket?" She asked sweetly as they headed out of the library. 

"Burning it." He affirmed. 

** "Cordelia?" Willow stared at their visitor in shock. 

"Hi, sorry I'm late. Traffic was a bitch." The brunette self consciously stepped through the door, "Hi Willow." 

"OhmyGod!" In an instant, the redhead threw herself into the other girl's arms, nearly weeping from happiness over seeing a familiar face. She'd been positive that she'd never see anyone from her old life again. 

Her own eyes tearing up slightly, Cordelia gently disengaged herself from the other girl after a few minutes, "It's good to see you, too." 

"Your timing is brilliant as always," Whistler smiled at her. 

"Which reminds me," she threw her keys at the demon, "That scratch on the passenger side door of your car was SO there before I drove it over here." 

"Oh geez…" Snarling, he snatched up the silver bundle and took off to inspect the damage. 

"Men are so easily distracted," grinning, Cordelia shut the door, "I'm glad you're finally here." 

"Me too." Willow smiled back, shy all of a sudden, "Sorry to jump on you like that…" 

"Not a problem," she responded graciously, "Look, I'm guessing that Whistler's told you about what's going on, right?" 

"Most of it…Cordelia, not that I'm not really happy to see you here, but what are you doing here anyway?" 

"Long story. Let's just say that I tried to stay out of the weirdness that abounded in Sunnydale when I first came to L.A. After a few months of avoidance, though, I realized that no matter what I did, it'd keep following me so I just gave up." 

"And decided to fight?" The redhead's eyes shone with admiration. 

"Attempted to fight is more like it." Standing in the middle of the living room and having a conversation with someone who had once been her mortal enemy should have been the weirdest thing in the world for Cordelia. Oddly enough, though, she felt totally at ease. Her comfort only strengthened her resolve to do what she had decided to. 

"Well, either way, I'm glad you're here." 

"Yeah, well, with Angel around, I couldn't help myself. After all, I've never been able to resist tall, dark, handsome men." 

The smile swiftly vanished from Willow's face as Cordelia internally kicked herself for bringing up such a sore spot so soon into the conversation. 

"How is he, Cordelia?" 

Licking her lips, the brunette chose her words carefully, "He's holding up." 

"I hear he's upset with Whistler." 

"Pissed off as all hell is more like it." Cordelia responded dryly, "He hates the fact that he doesn't know who you are. He really wants to get to know you and to work together and he almost thinks this whole idea of 'staying away' is as asinine as I do." 

"Well, according to Whistler, there isn't any other way." 

Wrinkling her delicate nose, Cordelia made a face, "According to Whistler, those pants he's wearing are still in style." 

Trying to hide her grin, Willow turned towards the kitchen, "Do you want something to eat?" 

"No, I'm cool. Look, Willow…" 

The hacker turned to face her, "Hmm?" 

"You want to get in touch with Angel, right?" 

Startled, she looked somewhat unsure, "Well, I'd love to but-," 

"No buts." The brunette scrutinized her. 

"Yes." Willow straightened out her shoulders, "Yes I would. I want to see him or talk to him, at least. This, what we're doing here with sneaking around and all...it just doesn't feel right. How do we bypass Whistler, though?" 

"Sweetie, the man may be an all powerful demon but he isn't quite omniscient." 

"He sure seems to be." 

"Not against Cordelia Chase he isn't." She stuck her chin out proudly and swallowed her uncertainty before shooting the redhead a conspiratorial smile, "Besides, I have a plan." 


	3. Protector 3

Waiting silently as Willow ran off to get her a soda, Cordelia pondered the conversation she'd had with Whistler a few weeks before. It had been about a month since she'd learned about Willow and her predicament and the demon was offering her a chance to get involved. 

"I don't get it, though, why choose Willow?" the brunette asked, "AND, why make her go through all this crap and then decide to separate her from Angel? Wouldn't you think that it'd be smarter just to have them train together? It really doesn't make sense. Buffy and Faith trained together and granted Faith turned out to be a psychotic little ho, but I mean, they made a really good team for awhile." 

"Cordelia, did you even bother to read the stuff I gave you?" 

Her ears redenning slightly, the brunette took a sip from her iced tea, "Yeah, I..uh…glanced through it. It was a big list of obituaries of past Protectors. Depressing much?" 

"Yeah, but did you notice a pattern by any chance?" 

Shrugging, she stared at him blankly. 

"Andrew Miles, 1874. He was protecting a young woman named Eliza Price. He sucessfully executed his duties for three years. They were married in the fourth year. Eight days later, they both died." The demon recited the facts by heart, "Sarah Brightman-Young, 1753. She was appointed to defend Mitchell McCarry, a Watcher. In 1755, he requested the opportunity to court her and she accepted. Two days later, he was killed during what should have been a routine patrol with his slayer." 

Feeling slightly ill, Cordelia shook her head, "So what you're trying to say to me is that if a Protector and a Protectee hook up then they're dead?" 

"Well, as poetic as that was, you're only half right." Whistler sighed, "It isn't set in stone, but what it looks like is that every time the relationship gets close, the Protector loses sight of his or her duty and begins to get careless." 

"So you think that Willow has the hots for Angel?" Cordelia asked, incredulously, "Why the heck did you pick her then?" 

"Willow was the obvious choice for a ton of reasons and no, I'm not saying that she digs him." 

"Then what's your problem?" She stared at him impatiently, "You don't know if she likes him and I really don't think he likes her…at least not in that way. I mean, hel-lo, there's the whole Buffy eternal love thing." She rolled her eyes, "Why force her to go it alone when you don't even have a reason to believe that they're gonna hook up." 

"Cordelia, you were there in the hospital room when Willow restored Angel's soul weren't you? 

"When things got all freaky and she started shouting in Latin or whatever? Yeah." 

"It shouldn't have worked." 

"What?" She stared at him. 

"The spell shouldn't have worked," He repeated slowly, "She's only a novice witch. Her power is there, but she should never have been able to tap into that much energy on her own." 

"Well, she does have that whole 'Immortal Watcher' thing going on on the side." Cordelia countered. 

"That has nothing to do with it." Whistler shook his head, "A soul restoration spell isn't something that you can experiment with until you get it or 'accidentally' stumble into the right vibe. It's some pretty serious shit." 

"So, okay, let's say I buy your theory. The point is that it DID work. What does that mean?" 

"Have you ever heard of the concept of 'intent' in spellcasting?" 

"Vaguely. I remember it from that time last Valentine's day when Xander forced Amy t-," She shook her head, "Yeah, I've heard of intent. It has to be pure for the spell to work or else things wig out." 

"Exactly." 

"So what the hell does that have to do with anything?" 

"If Willow couldn't perform the spell using brute power that she didn't have, her intent would need to be huge. Think about it Cordelia. It's a soul restoration spell." 

Slowly, realization dawned on the brunette, "Love." she said softly. 

"Bingo." He agreed. 

"To give him back his soul, she had to love him." She sniffed, "I think I'm gonna cry." 

"Calm down," Whistler grinned at her, "Love comes in a ton of different flavors. I'm not saying that she loved him in the way that could make things dangerous, in this case, it's just worth it to be careful." 

"In this case?" 

"She's the Immortal Watcher. Her council tends to be major tight-asses when it comes to this kinda stuff." 

"What, you mean like kidnapping her and forcing her to do your bidding?" She glared at him. 

"No, I mean risking the possibility of getting her killed before she's 18. If she dies before then, she doesn't get to fulfill her post." 

"This just sucks more and more, doesn't it?" 

"So, you in?" 

"For Willow's sake, you better believe it." 

"Cordelia? 

The voice jerked her out of her thoughts and she looked up to find the redhead standing above her, smiling and hold out a can of coke, "I couldn't find any diet, but I'll get some tomorrow. I hope this is okay for tonight. I found some spring water if you want that instead." 

"Not a problem. I don't like diet that much anyway." 

"Okay then, great." Swiftly, the hacker sat down at her computer, "Ready to get started?" 

"Let's do it." 

** 

Swinging the door open, Angel surveyed the darkly quiet apartment, "Cordelia?" 

Taking a few steps into the foyer, he stuck his head into the deserted living room before trying again, "Cordelia? Are you here?" 

"She went out, studly." Whistler responded calmly as he walked behind the startled vampire, into the kitchen. 

"Where did she go?" 

Wordlessly, the demon opened up the refridgerator and started to rummage through it, "It's 10pm on a Saturday night in L.A. and YOU'RE asking ME where she is?" 

"She was supposed to wait until I got here." Angel responded thoughtfully. 

"Yeah, well, she's a chick, they change their minds. You still mad about this morning?" 

"Yes," the vampire responded truthfully, "but I realized on my way over here that what you say and what you do rarely ever match." 

"Nice that it took you this long to realize that I was a hypocrite. Do we have basil?" 

"What?" 

"Fresh…leafy…basil. Do you know if she has any in here?" 

"Why do you need basil?" 

Closing the door to the fridge, Whistler stared at him, "Because it's green and crunchy and I like the way it smells." 

"You're funny." Angel retorted flatly. 

Whistler nodded in agreement. "And devastatingly handsome, not to mention ridiculously charming. It was a package deal." 

** 

"This is so simple it might actually work." Willow stared at her computer terminal. 

"Was there ever any doubt?" Cordelia pretended to preen over her shoulder as Willow set up the account. 

"And you already hooked him up?" 

"Yup, although he doesn't know it yet. I'll get him access next time I see him." 

"Hey, Cordelia?" Willow glanced up, "Whistler said you were one of my tutors. What are you teaching me?" 

"Oh that," the brunette thought for a moment, "I guess you can call me your society consultant. You know, fashion, manners, the works. That way, you can look poised and gorgeous while protecting Angel." She snorted, "AND I can finally get that godforsaken Black Power Ranger suit you've been made to wear burned." 

"Oh, well, it isn't that bad. I mean, from what I can remember, it was lightweight and comfortable. It served its purpose. I really don't mind wearing it." Willow offered. 

"Just wait until I get you into a pair of black Limited pants. They fit like a dream." Cordelia shook her head, "No, I'm not letting you spend another night in that getup. The only uglier thing I've seen in my entire life is that purple and green jacket Xander has." 

"Oh gosh, I remember that!" Willow exclaimed. 

"How can you forget it? I'm still emotionally scarred." 

"It's that fitted double-breasted one that kinda made him look like-," 

"A pimp." 

Both girls burst out laughing. 

"Three years ago, on H-H-Halloween," Willow gasped between giggles, "He wore it as part of some rapper costume he had even though it was way too big back then an-and I wanted to go dressed up like a bunny rabbit. My mother wouldn't let me leave the house with him. I think I just got it just now." 

Erupting into another fit of laughter, the two girls collapsed into heaps on the floor. Willow smiled up at the ceiling. Getting a chance to reminisce about her past made her feel lighter somehow, more cleansed. It was almost as if talking about it and remembering it was what would allow her to finally let it go. 

"How is he, Willow? Still staying out of trouble?" Cordelia's voice rang out from beside her. 

"Yeah." The redhead smiled and sat up, "Buffy and Giles keep him in line." 

Wistfully, Cordelia sighed, "I'm glad to hear it. I keep hoping that some day he'll be able to look out for himself, but somehow, I doubt it." 

Pausing awkwardly, the redhead realized that their conversation had treaded into possibly dangerous territory. 

As if reading her mind, Cordelia stood up, "Okay, enough messing around, I'm your tutor and I say you should get on with it." 

"I hope this is a good idea." 

"Of course it's a good idea. It's a great idea. I came up with it." 

"I mean, I hope we don't get into too much trouble." 

"Just email him." 

Grinning, Willow started to type her letter, "This is so weird. I mean, I wonder if he'll go along with this. I wonder what he'll say." 

"We won't know until you hit send." 

"Hey, you know, this is kinda like Romeo and Juliet!" Willow exclaimed before she realized the implications of her words, "I-in a totally platonic kinda way, I mean." She blushed, "Like, an updated version or something…using email." 

"Okay, so who would I be?" Cordelia played along. 

"Uhm…Oh! You'd be the nurse." Willow was pleased with her choice. 

"Wasn't she old, fat and ugly?" 

"Uhm…I don't remember." The hacker suddenly looked mildly uncomfortable, "But what I DO remember is that she was Juliet's loyal advisor and the only person who she could turn to who could help her out." 

"Well, that I can do." 

"Until the end, when she betrayed Juliet to the entire family. That, of course contributed to the whole entire double suicide tragic ending but oh, look, I think the metaphor is over." 

"Me too." Cordelia looked slightly confused but decided to drop it, "Uhm, okay, Willow. Maybe you should just finish the email. Make it casual and cool. You know, just be normal. Say hi and introduce yourself and stuff. You don't want to come off sounding too eager. Just type a few paragraphs and hit send." 

"O-okay. Good idea." 

So six pages later, Willow did just that. ** 

"Now this," Cordelia held up the small grey object, "Is a mouse. It makes the cute little pointy white thing on the screen go 'zoom'." 

Angel stared at her, "You do of course realize that I could be out patrolling right now." 

"Just as I could be out clubbing with Antonio, the hot guy from my political science class. We all have to make sacrifices, now pay attention." Glancing at her watch, Cordelia grimaced. She didn't have much more time before Whistler came back. 

"Why are we doing this again?" he asked, mildly irritated. 

"Because I got you an email address, moron." 

"Oh. Why?" 

"Because I wanted to. Look, why don't we go over the basics some other time and I'll just hook you up to the internet." 

Her fingers flashing lightly over the keys, Cordelia was logged in within moments. 

"Is this it?" Angel asked, staring at the flashing banners and scrolling words that covered the page at various angles. 

"Yeah. So, go to it. Check your mail." 

"I will." Angel stood up, "Later. Thanks for the tutorial. I'll give it a try after patrols." 

"Angel." Cordelia's normally exasperated voice took on a deadly tone, "Check your mail. Now." 

"But I just got this address, who would email me so s-," 

"Sit down and check your mail now!" She cracked the command like a whip and he fell back into the seat obediently. "Your login is Fangboy, and your password is cryptic." 

"Fangboy." Angel repeated slowly, "Why thank you, Cordelia." 

"Not a problem." She smirked. 

"Okay, and…oh look. I have a new message." He said in wonder. 

Standing, Cordelia started out of the room. "Really? I'm shocked. I'm so shocked I can barely stand it. In fact, the shock is so huge that I must leave." 

Ignoring her, he continued to stare at the screen, "So I just click on these letters right here?" Awkwardly, he maneuvered the mouse into position, "Okay. Oh, look it's from…." His voice trailed off, "Oh my God. I-It's from…but how did she….? Cordelia!" he called after her. 

"Not now Angel, the shock is truly killing me. I have to leave the room to save myself," the brunette called back from the top of the stairs. "Turn off the computer when you're done. Make sure it's off before Whistler gets back." 

Angel was too engrossed to hear her. 

**PART SIX**

Exhausted, Willow collapsed on her bed. 

"Five minutes, Red. Then I want to see your butt back in here." A voice called from the other room. 

Shaking her head from her prone position, Willow was almost positive that Whistler had somehow found out about Cordelia's plan and was now secretly taking his aggression out on her. She had been up for the past two hours, since six in the morning. 

It hadn't been pretty. 

Even after two years of watching and training with Buffy, Whistler had proven the hacker to be out of shape in a matter of minutes. After several grueling repetitions of kicks, punches and spins, she had been on the verge of tears while her mentor was barely breaking a sweat. For such a small guy, Whistler certainly was unusually strong. 

"You want some water?" 

Weakly lifting her head up, she gratefully took the proffered bottle. 

"Don't worry, Red, it gets easier. Trust me. You should be proud of yourself. Angel didn't handle this half as well as you are. He's much too whiny." 

"You trained Angel?" Her voice came like a soft croak. 

"Well, yeah," the demon stared down at her matter-of-factly, "What? Did you really believe his 'I learned it during my many experiences over the years' bullshit?" He made a face, "When I found him, he couldn't defend himself against the cold let alone another person. Now just look at him, all dressed in leather like a proper badass vampire. And then what does he do? Goes and forgets the little people." Reaching down, he unceremoniously hauled Willow to her feet. 

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. 

"Huh?" he mumbled, distractedly, "That can't possibly be…she's an hour early." 

Willow, for her part, couldn't care less who the visitor was. Closing her eyes, she fell blissfully backwards onto her bed. 

"Cordelia?" the redhead heard his frustrated howl from the living room. Quietly, she smiled at the ceiling. She would have laughed had her ribcage not been in utter agony. 

"Good morning. I brought bagels. Aren't you up kinda early? Where's Willow? What's with the sweatpants?" The stream of questions shot out of the brunette's mouth as she was walking into the bedroom, "Willow, hi! You look like crap." 

Snorting, the hacker couldn't find the energy to respond. 

"If you break her before I get a chance to haul her to the mall with me, I'm going to be very unhappy," Cordelia warned the demon. 

"Speaking of which, why are YOU up this early? And so bright eyed and bushy tailed too. You haven't been shooting up again, have you?" 

"You know I only save that for extended visits at your place." 

"Okay, enough fun, get outta here, May Queen. Go grab a manicure or something. You can even take my car, but I need another half an hour with Willow." 

"Excuse me if I pass on the snot-mobile." She pursed her lips at him, "At this rate, she'll be dead in another half an hour." 

"Cordelia…" Whistler began, a faint warning in his voice. 

"Whatever. I actually need to use your computer. Check mail and stuff. Mine is on the fritz." 

"Self-serving as always," the demon ribbed her good-naturedly. 

"Hey!" She held up her brown paper bag, "Excuse you, but don't forget that I brought BAGELS with me." 

"Which makes using people okay." 

"Exactly!" She flung the bag on a nearby chair, smiled brightly and stalked back into the living room. "Oh, and for some reason, that reminds me," she yelled, "I have your cell phone. Patrick something or another called from the Watcher's Council to say that they were going to kick your ass for stealing Willow." 

Closing his eyes, Whistler sighed, "Lovely." 

"In those words too. Like, direct quote and everything. Only, I think he said 'arse' cause he's Briti-," 

"Okay, Cordelia," Annoyed, Whistler followed her into the living room leaving Willow to drift off into a light slumber, "I need to get in touch with some people. Can you make yourself useful and stay here until the next tutor shows up?" 

"Well, duh." She responded, not looking up from the screen. 

He rolled his eyes, "Thanks." 

Waiting a few seconds to make sure that the demon had truly gone, Cordelia quickly leapt up from her seat and ran into the bedroom, hauling a sleepy and stumbling Willow back to the computer with her. "Okay, I plugged Angel in yesterday night and the doofus should have emailed you back provided he figured out how. He was way excited." She chattered happily. 

Waking up at the mention of the vampire, Willow smiled shyly, "Oh, okay, well let's see." After a few moments, she accessed her account, "Oh wow, here it is…" licking her lips in anticipation, she opened up the email, "and it's so….short." 

"'Dear Protector'," Cordelia read in a monotone voice over her shoulder, "'I want to meet you. Angel'." Snorting in disgust she shook her head, "And yet again, the man manages to suck more than I ever thought possible. Just wait until I get home…" 

"Oh, but Cordelia, it's okay," the redhead shook her head, "I mean, at least he wrote back. An-and besides. It's just so Angel. All cryptic and quiet and stuff." 

"You know, Willow, you're a really sweet and forgiving person." The brunette responded thoughtfully, "It's one of the things that I admire about you. But that doesn't change the fact that Angel's a big fat dork." 

"Well, I just mean…isn't this really the first time he's ever written email bef-," 

"Okay, enough. This whole entire 'understanding' thing you've got going? I'm going to have to fix. Remind me. We'll work on it together." 

"O-okay..." Willow looked somewhat confused. 

"So, what do you plan on telling the moron?" 

"Well, I don't have a clue what Whistler has planned for tonight so I guess I'll just have to tell him that I'll see what I can do." The redhead shrugged helplessly. 

"Am I interrupting?" 

Startled at the new voice behind her, Willow spun around…and squealed for joy. 

"Amy!" 

Rolling her eyes, Cordelia gave the witch a deadly glare, "Hel-lo, way to scare someone to death. The little round button by the door? It's called a bell. Ever consider using it?" 

** 

Trying to look casual, even Giles had to admit that 12 men dressed in tweed were somewhat conspicuous. 

"Good work on the cell phone number. How are we doing on an address?" Patrick asked gruffly. 

"Ah..ah..close, sir. Very close." A young man with blonde hair spoke up. Glancing nervously at his watch he nodded, "Micah should be back any minute. I expect that she'll have something to report." 

Willow would have been able to single handedly hack an address hours ago. Giles thought wistfully of his young protégé. Amidst all of the ruckus and squabbling over the past few sleepless days, Willow was his only real anchor to sanity. He didn't hold the redhead's decision to leave against her by any means. In fact, it showed a kindness and strength of character that would serve her well in her duties as Immortal Watcher. As long as that bloody little thieving imbecile doesn't get her killed first. 

"Mr. Giles, how is your team?" 

Snapping to attention, he coughed, "Yes, all in place as planned." 

The news of the missing young woman had sent the entire organization into an uproar. The headquarters in London were currently operating on a skeleton staff. Just about every Watcher who was physically able made his or her way to California. Several brought young girls with them. They were proxy Slayers who may or may not be activated but were consummately thrilled to get a short 'vacation' in the sunny weather. The Council had to spare five Watchers alone just to escort the troupe on a diversionary excursion to Disney World. 

"Good. We get the address, and then we move." Patrick observed the men assembled in front of him, "Any questions?" 

"Martin, did you eat the last Jellie?" A short, portly man complained. 

"For the love of God, you idiot, the Immortal Watcher is missing and all you can think of is food?" retorted his companion, who looked appropriately outraged. Unfortunately, he said this with a smear of purple jam on his upper lip, giving him away as the perpetrator. 

Quickly, the table dissolved into a collection of small arguments, as they did almost every single time they convened. 

Giles sighed. At this rate, it'll be a miracle if we can find her at all… 

** 

"I kinda have a plan of how I want to do this, but since we haven't practiced extensively together, except for that one time with the protection spell for Buffy, I'm not really sure where you are on terms of experience." Amy explained. 

"W-well, I've done some stuff. You know, nothing really specific. Just a little bit here and there…the soul restoration was the biggest. Since then I've done a few informal things. I've dabbled." Willow responded helpfully. "Yes, I guess you could call me a dabbler." Although she wasn't sure how Amy and Whistler knew each other, the hacker was thrilled to see yet another familiar face. The fact that the blonde girl also happened to be a fairly powerful witch was just an added bonus. 

"Okay, have you done much levitation or projection on objects?" 

"Well, I've practiced a little. Like on pencils." 

"Oh, okay good," Amy smiled, "So you understand the concept at least, right? That's usually the hardest." 

"You're pretty much projecting your own strength to move things." 

"Exactly," the witch nodded in agreement, "That's on a basic level. As you move on to bigger things, I'll teach you how to draw strength from your surroundings, including from your opponents, in order to move things." 

"Cool…" 

"Let's start with that candlestick holder on the table. Concentrate like you normally do with the pencil, Willow. Try to move it. Don't overexert yourself, just slide it a few inches towards me." 

Staring determinedly, the hacker narrowed her eyes and focused her gaze on the object. Gritting her teeth, she felt the tell-tale tingle of power working its way to her fingertips when suddenly she sneezed. In a flash, the door slammed shut and the redhead found herself flat on her rear. 

"Wh-what..?" She shook her head, slightly disoriented. 

Concealing her nervous glance at the door, the witch helped Willow to her feet, "It's no big deal, Willow. Your concentration just broke for a second and you closed the door instead of moving the candle. There was a bit of…backlash too…" Furrowing her brow, she looked thoughtful, "It might be better to try this a little later under more..controlled circumstances. Hey, why don't we try something a little different? I know a pretty good 'smokescreen' type spell that can help you to cover your tracks and escape from a fight if you ever need to. Can you run downstairs and grab my bag while I set up?" 

"Sure thing." Looking slightly dejected, the hacker left to comply. 

Standing with her back to the wall, Amy silently contemplated what had just happened. 

"Problems?" Whistler asked, seemingly melting out of the surroundings to stand behind her. 

Unfazed by his surprise entrance, the witch shrugged without turning around, "She's strong, Whistler. Pencils and candles are one thing. Doors are another. I didn't think she would be able to move the candle at all this time around. " 

Sighing, Amy retrieved the object in question and examined it thoughtfully before continuing. "She's like this constant source of energy. It's really incredible, but the thing that's scaring me is that it's so uncontrolled. I don't know if you should patrol with her this soon. I don't want her to have to resort to magic without at least a few more weeks of lessons. She's so powerful that she might hurt herself." 

"We don't have a few weeks," the demon reminded her gently, "Don't worry, though. I'll look after her, Amy. As long as she sticks with me, she'll be fine." 

"You ready?" The redhead returned, black bag in hand. 

"Absolutely," Amy sent her a warm smile before turning around to grab the package of basil that had been left on the bed. She didn't need to look to know that the demon who had brought it had already disappeared. 

** 

"Okay, Red, stay with me and stay down." Whistler spoke softly over his shoulder to the young woman crouched next to him. 

"I'll try." Willow responded, her voice muffled slightly by the black hood she wore. Try as she might, Cordelia hadn't been able to convince the demon to alter the headgear. He'd agreed to the new skin-tight black pants and even to the black body suit underneath, but nothing was changing his mind on the hood. ("For pete's sakes, Cordelia, the girl's got red hair!") 

Watching silently from above, the pair kept a careful eye on Angel as he slowly walked along his patrol route, stake in hand. 

As the vampire passed underneath, he hazarded a glance upwards, almost as if by instinct, but was too slow for Whistler who quickly pushed the hacker farther back into the foliage, effectively obscuring her from Angel's view. 

"Remember what I told you. No magic this time around. Stay out of things unless absolutely necessary and never ever get so far away from me that we can't see each other. The subliminal pre-conditioning that allowed you to fight over the past few weeks might begin to kick in now. If it does, just relax and follow your instincts, they'll guide you better than anything else in this case." 

"Incoming." Willow responded shortly, while nodding at the ground. 

Sure enough, Whistler spotted the three vampires rapidly closing in. Casting his charge a worried glance, he sighed. Even underneath the thin black veil, he could see the intensity of her green eyes as they focused completely on Angel and his impending battle. He felt her tense beside him and slowly began to doubt his own decision to bring her along so soon, "Careful, Willow, there are only three of them. Angel's handled more than that before." 

Snarling, the vampire in question quickly took the offensive and kicked his nearest opponent aside while bringing his stake into the heart of the other. Preoccupied, he couldn't prevent the remaining one from getting in a good punch to his stomach. Crying out hoarsely, Angel briefly doubled over. 

Sensing Willow's self control stretching thin, Whistler quickly placed a restraining hand on her arm, "Easy, Red. He can handle it." 

As if on cue, Angel quickly spun around, swept the legs out from under his attacker and staked him neatly. 

"See? What did I tell you?" the demon turned to give her a self-satisfied grin only to notice that she hadn't even heard him. 

Slowly, he followed her gaze back down to the ground where Angel, slightly rumpled from his encounter, was staring up at them. More specifically, he was staring at Willow. 

The demon's smile slowly faded as he saw Angel first touch his hand to his head and then outstretch it to the young girl above in silent greeting. Carefully, she inclined her head at him, returning his gesture appreciatively. 

What the…? Whistler felt his frustration well up inside. It was irritating times like this that the demon couldn't help but remember certain things that Cordelia had warned him about. Things such as trying to "prevent the inevitable." Shaking his head, he threw off her cautionary words I'll be eternally damned if I'm going to let everything we've worked for go to shit on Day 1. "Let's go." He whispered softly, "Our cover's blown, we need to retreat and regroup." 

The words were no sooner out of his mouth when a group of approximately 10 enormous vampires ambushed the very distracted Angel. 

"Oh Fu…" the rest of the curse was lost as Willow suddenly disappeared from beside him, leaping into the fray headfirst. 

For a horrible second, Whistler could do little more than sit in the tree, frozen in complete surrealistic horror over his sudden loss of control. Swiftly though, he regained his senses and jumped down to aid in the fight. It rapidly became clear, however, that his help wasn't really needed. 

Within seconds, Willow and Angel managed to dispatch more than half of their opponents. Like two parts of a mighty whole, the pair fought as if they had been trained together since childhood. Staring dumbfounded, Whistler wasn't sure if he should be thrilled over their incredible effectiveness or devastated over the rapid unraveling of his carefully made plans. Thus, his reaction fell somewhere in the middle. Somewhere along the lines of anxious nausea. 

"Left!" Angel shouted from behind and, without thinking, Willow complied in perfect synch as she ducked and rolled to switch sides with him, bringing her arm up with lightning efficiency and impaling her stake into her new opponent. 

Jumping up, she returned to her neutral fighting position, back to back with Angel. 

"Three remaining. Two right. One above. Start on go." He whispered to her through clenched teeth. Waiting until he felt the movement of air directly overhead, Angel yelled. 

"Go!" 

In a flash, they both shot away from each other, Angel continuing forward to fight the vampire in front, while Willow spun around to challenge the one that had fallen in the space between them. 

Whistler was in such deep thought taking mental notes on the couple's every move that he barely managed to deflect a blow from behind him. Aggravated over the events of the night as a whole, he made quick work of dusting the vampire who had dared to attack him. 

Turning around, he moaned in agony. 

When it sucks, it really really sucks a lot, doesn't it? He cast an exasperated look heavenward before cursing under his breath. 

Within the two minutes since the fight had begun, 10 vampires had disappeared. 

Within the two seconds it had taken Whistler to dispatch his opponent… 

So had Willow and Angel. 


	4. Protector 4

**PART SEVEN**

Breathing heavily, Willow sprinted as fast as she possibly could. It wasn't until she felt the sharp tug on her arm that she looked down and saw the black gloved fingers of her own hand intertwined with Angel's. Oh my…I don't remember doing that. Blushing furiously and beyond grateful for her black hood, she quickly pulled her hand out of his. 

Startled, Angel looked at her, "No, I didn't mean…" his voice trailed off. "I was just trying to tell you that we could stop running. I think we've lost Whistler." He darted a glance behind himself as if to verify. 

Biting her lip, Willow considered her options. Now what? 

"Are you okay?" he asked gently. 

Nodding, Willow smiled behind her mask. 

He cocked his head at her and leaned in closer, trying to get a good look at the sparkling green eyes behind the thin black veil, "You sure? I saw you take a couple of hard hits back there…" 

As her gaze locked with Angel's, Willow felt for a brief instant almost as if she were falling. Shaking it off, she quickly ducked her head to break eye contact. 

Stepping away as if afraid that he had offended her, Angel raked a hand through his dark hair, "Look, I just wanted to…..uhm…thank you. What you did back there…and what you're doing now…there aren't that many people who would. Especially after….well..after what's happened in the past." 

Shyly, she looked back up at him and was surprised at the naked gratitude and admiration that shone in his eyes. What happened to cryptic guy? 

Pacing uncomfortably, he tried vainly to express his feelings, something he was never good at to begin with. "I can't say that I know why you're here doing what you're doing but I just want you to know that I'm indebted to you for it. I mean that. By my word." 

Swiftly he crossed over to her and took her hand again in his as if sealing an oath. She wondered at the sudden warmth that flowed through the leather separating them. 

Shaking her head graciously, she backed away, trying to signal that he didn't owe her anything. 

Unfortunately, he took it as a sign of discomfort and quickly dropped her hand. 

Note to self. Miming doesn't work. Willow suppressed a forlorn sigh as she glanced at her empty hand. What I wouldn't give for a keyboard.... 

Note to self. No touching. It makes her nervous. Angel stored the information in his head for further examination at a later date. "Anyway," he continued after a brief pause, "I also want to apologize for the email I sent you. I mean, you must already know a lot about me...." 

Carefully, she nodded her head in understanding. 

"What I wrote was obviously...abrupt." He sighed, "Trust isn't something I give too freely. I've lived too long for that. It isn't an excuse but more of an explanation. I…apologize." 

There was an odd quality to his voice when he spoke the words that almost made Willow's heart ache for him. 

"I want you to know, though," He continued obliviously, "That I do trust you. Not just because of what you're supposed to do but of what I've seen you do. I only wish there was some way I could repay…" he stopped suddenly, his well-honed powers of observation finally catching up with his emotionally muddled mind, "You haven't said anything since we got here, have you?" he asked slowly. 

Panicking slightly, Willow shook her head. Uh oh. 

"So you want to keep your identity a secret, then?" Carefully, Angel struggled to keep the disappointment out of his voice. Deep down, he couldn't help but feel a small sense of personal rejection over her decision. For some reason, it matter that she trusted him as well. 

Do I? She had never really thought about it before, but then, she never really thought she'd find herself talking to Angel so soon. What if revealing who I am messes up everything Whistler tried to put together? At the thought of the demon, Willow couldn't help but feel a minor degree of guilt over her actions…not to mention a fair amount of trepidation over how he would respond once she got home. 

Patiently, Angel waited for a response. 

** 

"So then, like, I said, 'no way' and he was like, 'way' and I was like 'NO WAY', but he swore it was true!" grabbing another carrot stick, Cordelia inspected her toes while absent mindedly twirling the phone cord around her finger time for another peticure… 

Silently, a shadow moved from the far end of her apartment. 

Pausing, the brunette shook her head at the receiver, "No, I totally couldn't say that to his face but yeah he could do SO much better. Maybe you should tell him. Like, tonight, after the show, we should go to-," her voice choked off into a soft shriek as the shadow emerged into her field of vision. 

Crossing his arms over his chest, Whistler stared at her coldly. 

"Uh..no, I'm fine, Abby." Cordelia returned her attention shakily to the phone, "I-it was just this way weird thing on TV. I think I have someone on call waiting. I'll go get rid of them and call you back in a sec, okay?" 

Placing the receiver into its cradle, she eyed the demon angrily. "What the HELL is it with you people not using doors? How many times have I told you that it scares the shit out of me when you do that? I'll have you know that I carry pepper spray and if you keep sneaking up on me, I'm not responsible for any accidents that may-," 

"Where are they, Cordelia?" he spoke the phrase through gritted teeth. 

Pausing for a second, she gazed back at him in sincere confusion, "What?" 

"Willow. Angel. Where. Are. They?" He repeated slowly. 

"They're missing?" realization dawned on her, "Oh…" 

Rolling his eyes, he tried hard not to start yelling, "No, Cordelia, they're not missing. I just came over here to talk to YOU because Willow is really safe back at home and I just secretly love your company." He deadpanned. 

Raising an unimpressed eyebrow, she sniffed indignantly, "You know, Whistler, sarcasm SO doesn't look good on you." 

Turning, she went into the kitchen, "Honestly, I don't know where the hell they are. I can't say I'm as devastated as you are that they've gone off together, but I really don't have a clue." 

"You? Clueless? No…." the demon followed her. 

"You know, if you want to use me as a scapegoat for your anger over the fact that they both screwed over your rules and dissed your 'God complex', then that's fine. Make it fast, though, because it's nearly 10:30 and I am going out." Sticking her head into the fridge, she pulled out a diet coke, "Want a soda?" 

Exasperated, he shook his head, "Listen, I-," 

They were interrupted by the sound of a doorbell. 

"See?" Cordelia smiled triumphantly, "There's someone at the door. Someone who obviously respects other people's homes and doesn't come in through the wall like OTHER people I know." Haughtily, she stalked over to see who it was. 

Unlocking the multitude of locks, she finally managed to pull it open. 

"Oh, hello Cordelia! I-I'm sorry to bother you so late at night…" 

It took every fiber of her being not to go with her instincts and slam the door shut again out of sheer panic. She felt like she was going to be sick. 

"Giles…hi." She smiled at him weakly. "Long time no…see." 

"Y-yes, quite." Nervously, the librarian stared past her into the apartment, "Cordelia, I do hate to be an imposition, but you see, I'm here on official business and it appears that, through some odd stroke of bad luck, the Watcher's Council is unable to…tap in to any of it's…monetary assets." 

Trying very hard not to start laughing, Cordelia managed her best sympathetic nod. So..someone's credit cards got deactivated, huh? Score one for Whistler! 

"S-So," Giles continued obliviously, "I-I was wondering, Cordelia, if it w-wouldn't be too much of an imposition for us to stay here with you until tomorrow when we can straighten this whole mess out…" His cheeks burning, he looked at her hopefully. 

'Us'? Cocking her head to one side, she stood up slightly on her toes to see past the Watcher, Oh….*that* us…. Behind him, about 20 other men stood out down out in the hallway, looking in various directions, leaning against the wall and trying to look casual. 

"If it's too much of a bother…," Giles began again. 

Spotting a particularly good looking young Watcher in the back, Cordelia quickly cut him off quickly, "No bother." 

"Oh…" his face brightening slightly, he managed a small smile, "Well, that's very generous of you, Cordelia. We'll be happy to pay for food and lodging and such.." 

"No." She shook her head, "No need to pay, Giles, I'm more than happy to do my part helping the f-fight the forces of evil." Remembering Whistler in the kitchen, she started slightly, "Uh…YES, YES *GILES * YOU CAN COME IN WITH…YOUR 20 FRIENDS DRESSED IN TWEED." She came close to yelling *Please * make him be gone… 

Staring at her oddly, the librarian slid past her into the apartment, "Uhm…thank you, Cordelia." 

"Yeah, just throw your stuff in the living room. It's the second door on the left." 

Smiling like the gracious hostess her mother had taught her to be, Cordelia greeted all of the Watchers warmly. 

"Oh, wow, this place is just awesome." 

Slowly directing her gaze downwards, she stared into the eyes of a skinny 13 year old girl. 

"Yeah, bitchin digs," A second girl joined the first. 

"Laura, what have I told you about using that type of language?" The harried young Watcher stared at her reproachfully while stumbling through the door carrying what had to be about 20 bags from Disney World. 

"Bastard…" she muttered under her breath. 

"Oh hey, who are you?" Cordelia asked, crossing her arms over her chest. 

"I'm Laura, this is Robin, Hilary, Tracy, Jessica, Teri, Eliz, Carrie, JR, Emma and Heather." She pointed at her companion and the other 9 girls who had appeared out of seemingly nowhere. 

"We're Vampire Slayers." Eliz explained helpfully. 

"In training…like, not for real yet." Jessica supplied. 

"Nice shoes!!" Heather piped up cheerfully. 

"Got anything to eat?" Hilary asked. 

Her mouth slightly agape, Cordelia nodded and pointed at the kitchen. 

"Cool! I'm starved." Carrie scampered off, "You guys coming?" 

"Yeah." A chorus of 9 voices responded. 

"Oh baby, someone really owes me for this." The brunette muttered under her breath while still staring vacantly ahead. 

"Fuck food, you got any good shit on TV?" Laura smiled up at her. 

** 

The awkward silence grew as Willow tried to make a decision. On one hand, she wanted to just tear the mask off of her head that very second. Unfortunately, she was also deathly afraid of what would happen next. Would he be able to deal with the idea of being protected by the mousey teenager that he himself had had to save numerous times in the past? Would he be disappointed after she showed her true face? Would he feel cheated? Was she really even good enough to reveal who she was? Before she could begin to address all of the questions swimming in her head, Angel spoke. 

"Don't worry. I understand." He said simply, pushing his own feelings aside. She's fighting to save my life. I have no right to question her decisions. 

It was as if a burden had been lifted off of her chest and Willow sighed in relief. 

"I-I can take you home, if you want." He continued helpfully before realizing his mistake, "Or, if you don't want me to know where you live, I can just walk you to the end of the park." 

Pausing to ponder his offer for a moment, Willow nodded her head vigorously in acceptance. 

"Well then, let's go." Forgetting himself, he offered her his hand. 

Pausing shyly, she quickly grabbed it when he started to withdraw. The confused frown on his face gave her pause and, unable to resist, she reached forward, gently brushing her fingertips along his lips until she reached the corners. Applying light pressure, she forced them upwards until his mouth quirked into smile on its own. 

"Thanks." He said softly. Taking her hand more firmly, they walked out of the darkness together. 

There's something nice about mystery. Willow thought happily, trying hard to suppress the urge to start skipping alongside the vampire. 

Although she wanted nothing more than to be able to talk to Angel without having to hide who she was behind a hood, there was still a part of her that was holding back. A part of her that still felt she wasn't worthy enough to stand without it. 

Not yet at least. 

**PART EIGHT**

Pacing as calmly as possible, Whistler had just made his 32nd turn around the living room when he heard the door softly click open. 

Looking up, he stopped at the sight of the black-clad figure that quickly slipped in. 

Turning to face him, Willow gingerly pulled off her hood, revealing her flushed face and tired expression. Willow raised her gaze to his and looked him straight in the eyes, her face serious. 

"So, how much trouble am I in?" 

** 

"Excuse me, the lipstick is Chanel. Hands off. And you, the skank in my skirt? Give it back. Now." Death stare firmly in place, Cordelia set about yanking teenage girls out of her closet, away from her mirror, and off of her bed. 

"But don't you think it looks good on me?" Hilary wailed plaintively. 

Cocking her head to one side, Eliz shrugged, "I think Cordelia's right, you sorta look like a ho, Hil. It's way too short. Even for you." 

"Try the other one on. The silver shiny one. I like that one." Emma tried to be helpful. 

"No." Cordelia cut in harshly, "There won't be anymore pawing at my things tonight. Out! Everyone get OUT of my room! Now!" 

It was at that precise moment when they heard someone sneeze. 

The room fell dead silent as the girls all looked at each other carefully. 

"I think I saw someone outside," Carrie bounced over to the window. 

"That sounded like a guy." JR said softly. 

Laura's eyes narrowed, "And it smelled like a vampire." 

** 

"So, basically, every vampire in about a ten mile radius knows that Angel has a Protector?" 

"If we're lucky. It could be every vampire in the state." 

"Oh boy." The redhead sunk into her seat. "How did everyone find out?" 

"I'm guessing it's the freakin Watcher's moronic Council. You've killed every vampire you've come up against, so there's no chance it spread that way." Whistler growled. 

"Do you think the Council did it on purpose?" 

The demon paused for a moment, contemplating the question,"No, I don't think they did. I think they did it because they're incredibly stupid and indiscreet. You should have seen them lined up outside of Cordelia's house." 

"What?" 

"Yeah, they're all sleeping over there." 

"S-so they're camped out in her living room?" The redhead stared at him, incredulous. 

"About 20 of them. I thought that cutting off their funds would send them back to Sunnydale and buy us some time. Unfortunately, it didn't." 

"You cut off their funds?!" Willow looked mortified, "Oh, poor Giles!!" She could just picture the shocked look on the librarian's face when they sliced his credit card. He'd never trust technology again. "Oh, does Cordelia have tea? Giles must need some tea after today. Is there any way we can send over some tea?" 

Whistler gave her a strange look, "I…what…?" 

"I can't help it. I just feel bad!" She exclaimed, standing up. 

Grinning, Whistler tried to calm her down, "Don't worry about it he'll be fine. He's at Cordelia's with food and a roof over his head and….all his fun Watcher friends." 

Willow shook her head, "I just wish I could let him know I was okay…" 

"Speaking of which, how's Angel?" Whistler's voice took on a dull and deadly tone. 

"He's…uhm..he's w-well…" She stammered. 

"Where'd he go?" 

"Back to Cordelia's place, I think. Look, Whistler, I'm sorry, I really am. It just kinda happened and I swear I didn't say anything to him or take off my ho-," She stopped in mid-sentence when she saw the demon shaking silently. "What is it?" 

Unable to stand it anymore, he broke into full out laughter, "Angel's going to Cordelia's place?" 

"Well, yeah. I don't think he'll go in, though, once he figures out the Watchers are in there." 

"N-no, I don't think he's going to even get near that place." He gasped. 

"Wh-why?" 

"Concentrated tweed." Whistler smirked, "He's allergic to it." 

** 

Xander Harris had just climbed into bed when the phone started ringing. 

Quickly, he pushed back the covers, bounded across the dark room and picked it up, "Xander's house of love, the Love Man speaking. How may I help you tonight, Miss Summers?" 

"How'd you know it was me?" 

"Wild guess. Cordelia's in LA and Willow isn't back yet. That kinda narrowed the list down." 

"Actually, Xander, that's why I'm calling." Buffy replied, her voice tense and strange 

"What's up?" 

"It's Willow. I'm at her house right now. I forgot my trig homework that she was helping me with so I used my spare key to get in and get it." 

"So?" 

"Xander, all her clothing and stuff are gone." 

"So?" 

Buffy paused, "Uhm…Xander, doesn't that sound weird to you?" 

"She's with Giles. What do you expect? They're on some Watcher retreat thingie. Who knows how long THAT'S gonna take?" 

"Xander, her bedsheets are missing." 

"I wouldn't want to sleep on Watcher sheets either…tweed itches." 

Exasperated, Buffy sighed, "Xander, you know Mr. Gordo?" 

There was a moment of silence as he considered her question, "The stuffed pig I gave her? The one she always leaves at home because he gets carsick?" 

Nodding silently, Buffy glanced around the empty room again, "It's gone too." 

Not missing a beat he started to pull on his sneakers. 

"I'll be right there." 

** Angel stood in the shadows next to one of the local ice cream places. The sickly sweet scent of pistachio mixed with coffee was making his stomach turn, but he stood his ground. Back at the apartment, Cordelia had stuck her head out the window and whispered that she'd meet him there. Besides, I've waited in worse areas 

He was, however, entirely unprepared to see the brunette come strolling down the walk, herding a huge group of young girls in front of her. 

"Heather, you KEEP your ass in line, do you hear me? The ice cream place is right up ahead and if you go into another alley, I swear, I'm going to leave you there." She snarled impatiently, "Teri, stop looking at the guy, he's at least ten years older than you and looks like a pimp," pausing, she sniffed the air, "Tracy, are you wearing my perfume?!" 

"That him?" Carrie pointed directly at the vampire in the shadows and Angel's mouth dropped open. 

"Angel?" Cordelia called in an exasperated voice. 

Cautiously, he held back. 

"He's just standing there." JR murmured. 

"Angel, you can come out, they're fine." The brunette prodded impatiently. 

Slowly, he emerged into the light, trying to ignore the collective gasp from the group in front of him. 

Although he didn't yet know it, they all knew who he was. Most of them had read direct accounts of his history, some of the others just knew him from reputation. Either way, one thing was clear. This was Angelus. He was legendary. 

He was one of the most notoriously evil and brutal vampires. 

He struck fear into the hearts of mortals and demons alike. 

He was standing in front of a Dairy Queen. 

** 

Gazing out the window, Willow couldn't help but think about how she fought with Angel. She'd never felt so powerful in her entire life. Even when she'd been captured by the Mayor, staked the vampire about to 'taste' her, stole pages out of the Books Of Ascension and stood up to Faith all in the same night, she hadn't felt like this. 

For once, she wasn't just 'Willow the friendly hacking helper'. It wasn't necessarily that she was something better or different; she was something more now. Grinning in spite of herself, she released the blinds and stalked back over to the couch where Whistler was sprawled on his new cell phone, making yet another phone call. 

Eavesdropping unintentionally, she realized that he wasn't speaking in English. 

She wondered mildly what he was saying but after a mental shrug, pushed it out of her mind. 

Angel looked good. The initially innocent thought soon brought a blush to her face. It was true. The vampire looked healthy. Well, more than healthy, really. 

It was strange. She felt like she was seeing an entirely different side of him. It was somewhat like the night he had come to her room a few years ago and asked her to look up information on one of Buffy's former boyfriends. The thought that HE'D be coming to HER for help had been an intimidating one. She had been entirely unnerved by his sudden arrival but had somehow managed to blunder through it. 

I hope I didn't sound like TOO big a moron. 

Shaking her head at the thought, she absent-mindedly picked up her black leather gloves. 

He needed her now. More than he ever had before and for some reason, it felt right. Instead of being paralyzed by fear like she would have when she was younger, she felt oddly at ease with the situation. 

I wonder if Whistler's people…changed me somehow. She couldn't be sure of their motivations or capabilities. In fact, she hadn't really seen Whistler do anything strange or utilize magic even though she was fairly certain he could. 

Putting down the phone, the demon silently left the room and Willow sighed. 

More than anything, she wanted to be able to talk to Angel again. Besides Cordelia, he was one of the few people connected with her old life and it was important for her to cling to that. Besides, Angel always knows what to do. He comes through all the time. She snickered. Old Reliable. 

Buffy had called her that once. It had annoyed her at the time, but now she saw the compliment for what it was. It made her feel closer to Angel. 

In her own way, she had always felt a silent kinship with the vampire. They had both lived their lives as outsiders of sorts and were both somewhat withdrawn. They were also both highly intelligent. Ooh, and now we both sorta have secret identities! She bounced at the thought. 

Of course, though, there were a few differences. 

He's strong and never afraid of anything and really good looking. The last comment was less of a conscious thought than a scientific observation. Although Willow wasn't necessarily suffering from low self esteem the way she had in high school, she didn't harbor any delusions about her own appearance. 

But sometimes being really pretty can make you mean. Briefly, Cordelia, or 'old school Cordelia' as Willow now thought of the brunette, came to mind. 

Angel isn't mean, though. she amended. Underneath the broody and guilt-ridden exterior, she knew how good he was. Even though he was technically in love with Buffy, he had saved all of their lives enough times for Willow to realize that he harbored a certain amount of love for each of them. 

Even Xander. She smiled at the thought. 

For all of his growling and emotional isolation, she was well aware of the vampire's warm personality. And his hands were warm too… She frowned slightly as she recollected their encounter. I thought vampires were supposed to be cold. Even when she had brushed her fingers against his lips, she'd felt the warmth penetrate through to her fingertips. 

"Ahh…Willow?" 

Startled, the hacker looked up to find Whistler standing over her. Looking down, she realized she had been subconsciously brushing the black gloves back and forth lightly over her own lips. Mildly horrified, she threw them on the couch and stood up. 

"Oh hi!" 

Studying the guilt-stricken look on the young girl's face, Whistler paused. "Hi. Guess what?" 

Tucking an errant strand of red hair behind her ear and trying to calm her unexpectedly rapid heartbeat, Willow shot him a nervous smile "What?" 

"We have a new game plan." 

** It was nearly midnight when the phone started ringing. 

One or two of the Watcher huddled over their ancient texts paused to glance up at it, but most simply ignored it and continued with their research. 

After a few more rings, the answering machine dutifully clicked on: "Hi, you've reached Cordelia's apartment. I'm not in now, so leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Megan, if this is you, I need my red velvet clogs back for the dinner thing next Friday so just beep me, k?" 

Giles tried to hide a smile as a few of the older Watchers rolled their eyes at the recording. 

"…..Hello? Cordelia? Are you home? If you're there, can you pick up?" 

The effect of the unmistakable voice on the other end of the phone was instantly sobering. Several men started choking on the tea they had been in the process of swallowing. A few of the others broke the pencils they'd had clutched between their teeth while reading. 

"Giles….? Are YOU there? It's Buffy. Please pick up the phone…." 

Slowly, Giles put down his book and took in the stares directed at him from all sides of the room. 

"Cordelia, it's Buffy. I'm calling because I'm looking for Giles and I called Council headquarters and Wesley said he might be here. It's VERY important that I get ahold of him, so can you have him call me?" 

"What are you waiting for, man?" Patrick finally broke the silence with his gruff voice, "She already knows something is going on, so you may as well pick up the phone, Giles. Your Slayer needs you." 

Having received approval, the Watcher's barely restrained energy kicked in. He quickly shot to his feet and grabbed the receiver, "Buffy?" He asked, slightly breathless. 

"Giles." She sounded relieved, "Giles, can I talk to, Willow?" 

"Oh…she's….," He glanced up helplessly at the other men, "She isn't here right now." 

"Giles, where is she?" her voice took on a firmer quality. 

"She's…it's…well, it's a long story, Buffy, perha-," 

"Giles?" The Slayer interrupted. 

"Yes?" 

"Start talking." 

** 

"They're proxy Slayers? Cordelia are you nuts?" Angel looked ready to bolt. 

"Hey!" Insulted, the brunette pulled herself to her full height, "It was the only way I could get out of the frickin house this late at night without about 5 Watchers following me." 

Shooting a look at the awe-struck girls still gathered in front of him, he grabbed Cordelia's arm and yanked her aside, "What's the Council doing in your house anyway?" 

"Like I have any idea. They're on some Watcher's questy type thing." 

"And they brought almost every Slayer-in-training with them?" 

"Do I CARE what they're doing?" She burst out. "They're sleeping over for one night. Giles needed a place. They'll be going tomorrow." 

"What if one of them reports the fact that they've seen me here with you? Giles will want to know what's going on." The vampire furrowed his brow. 

Cordelia burst out laughing, "You think one of THEM is going to tell a WATCHER that they saw you?" 

"Why not?" He stared at her. 

"Do you know who the head of the Council is?" 

"Patrick Mann?" 

"Yeah, that Patrick guy." 

"What about him?" 

"See that one?" Cordelia turned to point at one of the teenagers, a particularly striking raven-haired one who was in the process of scowling at the pair engaged in private conversation. "Homegirl over there pantsed him about two hours ago." 

"P-pantsed him?" 

"Pantsed…it means to pull someone's pants down. She was bored so she just ran past and pantsed him. Believe me, be glad you weren't there. I never want to see a Watcher's tighty whities again." 

"You're kidding." 

Cordelia shook her head, "Her name is Laura. She is fear worthy. They all are. AND none of them have remotely any respect for the Council." 

"Except for maybe Giles." Emma offered from the side. 

"Yeah, I think Buffy cooled him out." Hilary nodded. 

"We kinda dig him." Tracy reaffirmed. 

"So what did you need to talk to me about?" Cordelia asked, returning her attention to Angel. 

"Oh…that." Still slightly uncomfortable, he paused, "I just wanted to tell you to warn….my friend…that somehow word's hit the underground about her." 

"Excuse you?" The brunette shook her head, "Repeat that for those of us who don't speak cryptic fluently." 

"The computer, Cordelia. I wanted to use your computer. To send an email." 

"The vampires in this area know about his Protector." JR translated quietly. 

"Yes, exact-What?" Angel looked over at the tiny girl with long chestnut hair who was standing unobstrusively at the edge of the group. "H-How did you know about my Protector?" 

"Word travels fast." Cordelia shrugged and started to try and herd the girls away before anything else was accidentally revealed. "I'll tell her as soon as I can. Come on girls. We're outtie." 

Unfortunately, the phrase didn't work as well on people who WEREN'T Harmony and her group of sheep. 

Firmly, the slayers stood their ground, ignoring Cordelia. 

"We know about your Protector cuz she's our Immortal Watcher too, moron." Laura responded loudly, rolling her eyes. 

"Damn." Cordelia muttered. 

Angel opened his mouth briefly before snapping it shut again. Over 200 years of training couldn't prevent the shock and horror that flooded his features. 

Stopping at this strange show of emotion, Laura smiled sheepishly, "Aww, crap, did I say something wrong?" she looked confused. "Fuck…sorry." 

** 

Standing several yards away, Spike's icy blue eyes sparkled. 

"Protector AND Immortal Watcher, eh?" 

Smiling, he melted back into the shadows. 

"This is going to be so much more fun than I thought." 


	5. Protector 5

**PART NINE**

"You want me to…what?" Willow regarded the object in his hand with abject fear. 

"I can't believe I didn't think of this before! Come on, Willow, it'll be easy." 

"Yes, b-but, I'm not even, really…immortal yet…I mean, Whistler, who says they're going to even listen?" 

"You never knew Merrick did you?" 

"Uhm..no…" 

"Don't worry, they'll listen. You just need to promise me one thing." 

"What?" She looked up at the demon. 

"You'll make them cry, just a little. For me." Winking, he turned and left Willow to her task. 

** 

"Uhm…Angel, I can explain…" Cordelia reached out to touch his sleeve but he quickly jerked away. 

"Don't touch me, Cordelia." He ground out hoarsely. The vampire looked almost ill. 

11 pairs of rounded eyes watched the exchange in dead silence. 

"Whistler didn't want to tell you because he knew you'd get up-," 

"She's the Immortal Watcher and no one thought that might be important?" He was trying very hard not to yell, with minimal success. God, she must be so miserable. No wonder she didn't want we to touch her. Immortal Watcher?! It's against her nature to even be near a vampire! To Angel, the Watchers had always been a confused bunch, but he had the utmost respect for their leaders. Although he had known Merrick only briefly and mostly through reputation, he knew that the Immortal Watcher stood for all that was good. To force this girl, this unsuspecting, undeserving child to carry the burden of his own sins was disgusting and unspeakable. The fact that she was also Immortal was like adding insult to injury. 

"Angel, calm down. Of course it's important but you need to understand th-," Cordelia tried to be patient. 

"What else is there?" He barked. 

Startled, she jumped slightly, "I-I don't-," 

"There's still something else you're not telling me. What else is there?" It was a hunch, but he figured that it was a good risk to take seeing as how Whistler had a tendency to play with his life and for some reason, he'd chosen Cordelia to be his confidant. He also guessed that in her state of confusion, she wouldn't call his bluff. 

Casting her gaze downwards, the brunette stumbled over her words, "She…ahh…she's not exactly immotal yet.." 

Awaiting his reaction, Cordelia held her ground. After several seconds of silence, however, she finally got the nerve to look back up. 

He was gone. 

"Shit!" she muttered under her breath staring into the darkness. 

There was a long moment of silence before anyone spoke. 

"Damn, that man has the * nicest * ass I've ever seen." Laura smiled appreciatively. 

"Oh, I second that." Jessica nodded in agreement. 

"I think that someone should go after him." JR offered, "He's upset. He might do something rash." 

"Hey, how about me? Worried that * I * might do something rash?" Cordelia exploded, unable to stop herself, "What in the HELL did you think you were doing? Did I ask any of you to talk? No! Now look what's happened! God, way to fuck everything up." With that, she turned to stalk off down the street… 

And was promptly thrown to the ground by the looming figure in front of her. 

** 

"B-Buffy's on her way up." Giles sat down, pale and tired. 

"Perhaps it's all for the best, man. She's the current slayer and she's also best friends with Willow. She might be able to help us much more than anyone else." Patrick cast a glance at the semi-useless younger Council members and sighed. 

"She should be here in 3 or 4 hours. I told her to come in the morning, but she refused." 

"Understandable, but I don't want her to get tired out before she even gets here." 

"I'll make sure she gets some rest before-," 

The shrill sound of the phone pierced through the gentle mumbling atmosphere yet again. 

"Lord, now what?' Mildly annoyed, Patrick jumped up and grabbed the receiver without thinking twice, "Hello?" 

"H-hi…..? Cordelia?" the voice on the other end sounded cautious and timid. 

"No, Cordelia isn't in right now. May I take a message for her?" Sighing, the Watcher began to search for a pen. 

"Uhm…is Patrick there?" 

His ears perked up almost immediately. Waving wildly at the assembled group, he caused all conversation to grind to an immediate halt. 

"Yes, this is Patrick. May I ask to whom I'm speaking?" He responded carefully as a huge gaggle of Watchers immediately surged up around him. "Shhh!!!" He hissed, trying to wave them off. 

There was a short pause and he was afraid that he'd lost her. 

"Hello?" He prodded gently. 

"Uhm…hi….yes, uhm, this is…uhm…Willow." 

The Watcher came close to fainting, "Willow! Dear Lord, child, where have you been? We've been looking for you everywhere! Stay where you are and we'll come get you." 

"Is it her?" 

"It's the girl?" 

"Finally!" 

"Where's that two-faced little demon?" 

"Move out of the way, Nigel, I can't hear!" 

Throwing them all aside, Patrick rapidly walked out of the sitting room and into the hallway, pausing only to drag Giles along with him by his collar. 

"A-actually, I was wondering if maybe you could all just go back home and wait for me." Willow's voice rang out with only a slight edge of hesitation. 

"W-what?!" Slightly taken aback, Patrick promptly released his hold on Giles and started pacing up and down the narrow corridor, "And leave you with that demon? Absolutely not. I can only wonder what lies that…thing has been feeding you." 

"But-," 

"No, Willow, as the acting head of the Council and your future guide in taking over your responsibilities, I simply can't allow this. You're obviously being brainwashed by this Whistler fellow and it's entirely unacceptable. Where are you? I'll send several men over to get you. You needn't worry about any possible repurcussions. I assure you, there are far more of us than there are of those knaves who have kidnapped you." 

"Kindnapped? But I wasn't really kidnapped, see, Whistler is a good guy…" The hacker started off again only to be interrupted. 

"Yes, I'm sure it seems that way, child, but trust me. There's a lot about him that you simply don't know. Now please, your location?" Patrick pressed on. 

"I can't just leave yet!" She was becoming exasperated, "Angel needs me!" 

"Angel?" He scoffed, "Do you mean Angelus? I know it seems as if Angelus is one of the 'good guys' as well, Willow, but you must understand that no matter what he's done for the Council or for your friend Buffy, fundamentally he's still extremely dangerous. I can't have you running around with him, endangering your own well being, especially before you've even reached your full capacity." 

"Oh, but I feel safe with Angel, tonight we helped each-" 

"Safe? Willow, I'm sorry to have to tell you this but Angelus is essentially a killer. Soul or not, he's been trained as a predator and an assassin for years and although he does serve some function on occasion, you don't have any obligations to him. Furthermo-," 

"Wait." 

The command was quiet yet carried such a huge underlying current of anger that Patrick stopped in midsentence. 

"First of all, you'll call him Angel," Willow continued in the same tone of voice, "Not Angelus because that isn't his name. Sec-," 

"Willow-," Patrick broke in hurriedly. 

"EXCUSE ME?" She hollered so loudly that he jerked the phone away from his ear. 

Giles, who had been waiting patiently in the hall, merely raised an eyebrow. 

"Y-yes…?" Patrick responded after cautiously bringing the receiver back. 

"Wasn't I just in the middle of giving you an order?" Her voice took on the same deadly quiet quality. 

"Yes, but-," 

"Do you know who you're talking to?" 

Swallowing hard, Patrick paused. "Miss Rosenb-," 

"Try again." 

Thinking fast, the frightened man spit out the first thing he could think of, "T-The Immortal Watcher…..Sir?" 

"Good." Her voice carried an oddly self-satisfied tone, "And what do you think Merrick would have done if he were told what to do?" 

"Skewered me, Sir." The Watcher responded honestly. 

"Interesting." 

There was a long pause. 

"Sir?" He finally broke the silence, afraid that she'd simply hung up on him. 

"What do you think I'll do to you if you keep trying to tell me what to do?" She asked coldly. 

Laughing nervously, the Watcher grappled for a decent answer, realizing that he may have just pushed his superior a bit too far… 

** 

Barely getting a chance to scream, Cordelia was in the process of opening her mouth when she found it suddenly full of dust. Choking, she slowly opened her eyes to see a gaggle of teenage girls with crosses, stakes and other previously concealed weaponry standing over what looked to be a pile of dirt. 

"Bastard didn't stand a fucking chance," Laura smiled, smugly. 

"Hah, eleven against one. I'd say he was a goner." Emma and Jessica high-fived each other. 

"Oh, and that was cool, Robin. Like, how you did that spinny thing?" Tracy bounced enthusiastically. 

Soon, the group erupted into self-congratulatory chatter as they recounted, in detail, the life-threatening 10 second fight with an unfortunately stupid vampire against 11 slayers-in-training. 

Forgotten, bruised and still bristling, Cordelia slowly pulled herself to her feet again, "Uhm. Okay. Now that I've lost one of my best friends, betrayed another one, and almost gotten eaten all in one night, I think I'm ready to go home." 

Bracing herself, the brunette started walking again only to be stopped this time by a lanky redhead. 

"Not so fast." Carrie smiled, a strange sparkle in her grey eyes. 

"I think you're forgetting something." Heather added cooly. 

"Like what?" the flat, haughty tone of Cordelia's voice was almost painfully remniscent of her older, cheerleading self as she geared up for a challenge. 

"You just nearly got eaten…." Laura began. 

"Thanks, I almost missed it." The May Queen broke in rudely, her voice dripping with sarcasm. 

"…and * we * saved your life," she finished, staring up expectantly. 

Cordelia sneered, "Meaning what? That you want some show of gratitude or something? A 'thank you for fucking up my life' type-speech maybe? Don't hold your breath." 

Toying casually with her stake, Laura shook her head, "No, I don't think a 'thank you' is really necessary…" 

"Good, I wouldn't want all of you to die from lack of air, y'know." The brunette managed to deliver the retort in such a way as to show plainly that she wouldn't, in fact, mind such a scenario at all. 

Choosing to strike, Laura licked her lips and glanced at her friends. "Actually, we want something else." 

"A favor." Emma piped up. 

"In return for saving your life," Robin grinned almost sadistically. 

"A favor? You want me to do you a favor? What is this? Some kind of severe collective stupid-attack that's going aroun-," 

"Let me put it to you this way, Cordelia. You do us this favor or we don't hold up our end of the bargain." Eliz crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly. 

"You know, the part about us keeping 'hush hush' with the Watchers Council?" Tracy clarified in a sweet voice. 

"What?!" the brunette shrieked, outraged, "Blackmail?! How dare you!" Slowly, as she looked from one smugly smiling face to another, realization dawned. "OhmyGOD! You set me up! All of you set me up! Heather was in the alley baiting that vampire to-YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN ME KILLED!!! Why you skinny little insignificant group of teeny-bopper Brittney Spears wannabes! I'll have you know tha-," 

"Take it or leave it." Laura cut in, calmly. 

Nearly shaking from fury, Cordelia paused as the full scope of what was happening sank in. 

Pinning her opponent with a deadly glare, Laura went in for the kill, "Give us what we want or round off a perfect night explaining yourself to Patrick and Giles. It's your choice. What'll it be?" 

** 

"And FURTHERMORE I want access to all of the records currently in possession of the Council concerning Protectors and their roles. I also want all of the information you have about Angel and Spike." Willow stomped loudly back and forth in the living room, dutifully ignoring Whistler who was busy doubled over in fetal position trying to muffle his hysterical laughter. 

"Spike? But why do you need anything on Sp-," Patrick began, in a panicked voice. 

She stopped and narrowed her eyes at the receiver briefly before bellowing, "ARE YOU QUESTIONING ME AGAIN?" 

"N-n-n-no, Sir!! No, Sir!" Frantically, the Watcher started stammering uncontrollably. 

"I'm going to die…I'm going to die…" Whistler moaned over and over again, clutching his stomach and literally crawling out of the living room, tears running down his face. 

Willow sighed and returned her attention back to the phone. 

"Look, call Headquarters or whatever and have the stuff sent to Cordelia's apartment as soon as possible. Now hand the phone over to Giles, I'm done talking to you." 

"Yes, Sir." Obediently, Patrick handed the phone to the librarian who had been, up until this point, lounging casually against the wall, simply taking in the conversation. His task completed, the Council Head quickly scampered into the adjoining room, shouting orders to his underlings. 

Giles gently shut the door to block off the noise before speaking. 

"Willow?" 

At the sound of her mentor's voice, the redhead heaved a sigh of relief, "Giles!" 

"Dear Lord, Willow, what on earth did you say to him? I've known Patrick for years and I've never seen him react like that. I almost thought he was going to wet his trousers." 

Snorting in a very un-Willowy manner, the hacker merely shook her head, "I just reminded him of who I was," she said a hint of pride creeping into her voice. 

"I see," the librarian remarked dryly, "You pulled rank, I take it?" 

Suddenly feeling guilty, Willow bit her lip, "Uhm…kind of. But, I mean, it wasn't my fault. He was being bossy and mean an-," 

"He's just trying to look out for your best interest, as we all are." Giles pointed out. "You can't fault him for doing his job as he sees fit, Willow. He feels that your life is his responsibility just as you feel that Angel's life is yours." 

In a matter of a few seconds, Willow felt herself reduced to the teenage high schooler that she was, "Well, I guess I never thought of it that way…I guess that was really mean of me, huh?" 

"You're young, it happens." The librarian responded simply. 

"God, they must all think I'm some huge bitca by now," shame started to flush the young girl's cheeks and she sank down onto her couch, "And I'm not even Immortal yet….power is a dangerous, dangerous thing. Just goes straight to people's heads. I don't know what I was thinking…wow, Giles, I'm so sorry, can you tell Patrick that I'm sorry? Ca-," 

"Willow," Giles took pity on her enough to interrupt her apologetic babble, "I'm sure he'll live. Besides, he served under Merrick. He's used to it." 

"So Merrick used to pull rank too?" 

"All the time." 

"So does that mean it's okay to do that?" 

"I'd say that it depends on whether or not you want to be like Merrick." 

Willow paused to consider his statement when she heard a ruckus coming from the foyer. 

Unceremoniously, the door burst open, causing the startled hacker to almost drop the phone. Regarding the group standing in front of her, she hurriedly spoke, "Uhm, Giles…I swear I'm not pulling rank or anything, but something weird just happened so can I call you back?" 

"Of course." 

Quickly clicking off, she tossed the phone to the couch and jumped up. After an awkward silence she darted a look at Whistler who had since recomposed himself and now actually looked rather angry. 

Cautiously, she smiled, "Uhm, hi. Who are you?" 

Another strange silence descended upon the assembled group and the hacker started to fidget uncomfortably, "Uhm….my name is Wi-," 

Before she could get her introduction out, there was, what seemed to be an enormous exhalation of held breath followed by screaming. 

In seconds, the hacker found herself surrounded by a huge group of nearly hysterical girls, shouting all at once with blatant admiration shining on their faces. 

"Oh my God, I can barely believe it!" 

"You are SO cool!!" 

"I love your hair, is that, like, for real? What a great color!" 

"Where did you get those black pants? They're fucking awesome!" 

"Are you really the Immortal Watcher?" 

"Can I have your autograph?" 

Her head spinning, Willow fell back onto the couch tried to keep track of the endless chatter that burst forth all around her. Finally her gaze settled on a harried looking Cordelia. 

Shrugging the brunette rolled her eyes, "They blackmailed me. I'm going to find a way to get back at each and every one of them soon. I've taken down names. They're slayers-in-training." 

Whistler's cell phone started ringing and he quickly moved into the kitchen, away from the still-shrieking girls. 

The redhead's face softened almost immediately, "'Slayers-in-training?' Aww!!! That's so awesome!" Feeling a surge of love for the younger girls huddled around her, Willow had to fight off the urge to gather them all into a group hug. 

"What's it like to be immortal?" 

"What should we call you?" 

"Can I brush your hair?" 

"Can we sleep over?" 

The questions and doting stares were relentless but Willow fielded them with grace and ease. Never having had siblings before, Willow couldn't help but feel an instant 'big sister' kinship for the younger slayers. She was almost giddy with all of the attention when Whistler stepped back into the room. 

"Will the wonders never cease?" 

The grim expression on his face caused the hacker to sober up, "What's wrong?" 

"That was Angel. He's coming over in about….well, now." 

"He's coming over?! What?! Why?!" 

"No time. get upstairs and get dressed fast." 

Jumping up, the hacker flew from the room and up the stairs followed closely by her newly acquired entourage. 

"Oh no, oh no, oh no!!" Her hands shaking, she bolted into her room and delved into her closet. Coming up empty handed, she crawled quickly across the floor, peering under her bed and overturning scattered clothing and books. 

"What is it? What's going on?" Jessica asked, panicked. 

"My mask and my shirt and my gloves…my whole outfit….I don't remember where I took it off. Oh no! I think there are pieces of it all over the house…I didn't think he'd come over tonight…I need to get dressed before Angel gets here!" 

Snapping to attention, Heather quickly yanked Willow to a stop, "Dude, calm down. You're flipping out. We'll take care of it. We're slayers, that's why we're here." 

"Right! What do you need?" Emma asked. 

"Gloves, mask, boots, and shirt…they're all black…." the hacker responded nervously. 

"Eliz, Emma, and Tracy, you've got the mask. Jessica, JR, and Teri, you've got the gloves. Hilary, stay here. Laura you're with me on the boots. Robin and Carrie go after the shirt." Heather shot the commands out quickly and within seconds the girls had emptied the room, nearly running over Cordelia in the process. Willow could hear them bounding off into various parts of the house. 

"What's going on?' Cordelia asked as she made her way into the room and flopped down onto the bed. 

"They're helping me get my disguise together before Angel gets he-," 

"One glove!" Teri shrieked as she ran past the open door pausing only to fling it into the room. The leather garment soundly whacked Cordelia in the head causing the brunette to jump up before Willow could finish her sentence. 

"You totally did that on purpose you little cretin!" the former cheerleader yelled, running out into the hall. 

The next thing Willow heard was a thud and harsh cursing as Laura shoved Cordelia out of the way and ran past the door travelling in the opposite direction, "Boot!" She called, tossing it into the room before going on her way. 

"Let me help you get these on," Hilary quickly and quietly slid the incoming clothing on Willow. 

"Other glove!" Jessica shouted as she threw it in and continued off. 

Within less than a minute, Willow was efficiently dressed in most of her disguise. 

"What are we missing?: Heather asked, slightly out of breath as she paused in the doorway. 

"We're waiting on the mask," Hilary responded, wrinkling her nose. 

"Got it!" Eliz smiled proudly, appearing from behind and leaning over Heather's shoulder to pass the final piece of clothing over to Hilary, "Tie up her hair, pull this sucker on and we're ready." 

Harsh pounding from the downstairs door echoed up the hallway. 

Sighing, Willow adjusted the veil over her eyes, "And not a moment too soon…." 

**PART TEN**

Calmly, Whistler unlocked the door only to be confronted with a very angry Angel. Without thinking, the vampire charged into the house, only to be repelled several feet backwards by the invisible shield surrounding it. 

"Hey, nice move there, Dr. Badass." Whistler stared down at his protégé and quirked an eyebrow. 

Snarling, Angel got to his feet, "Where is she? I need to talk to her." 

"You can try," the demon beckoned grandly, "Why don't ya come on in and make yourself comfortable?" 

Storming into the house, Angel didn't spare Whistler a second glance. "Bastard." He muttered under his breath. 

The demon merely smiled. "You're welcome." 

** 

Willow hurried down the stairs, almost tripping over the cluster of girls crowded around the bottom who were whispering in barely restrained excitement. 

"He's here. Whistler just let him in." JR updated the hacker. 

"Good luck!" Heather smiled warmly. 

"Go get him," Jessica purred in her most seductive voice eliciting giggles from all of her companions. 

Rolling her eyes behind her veil, Willow leaned over, "Thanks guys, but I don't want you to have to stay up so late for me. Council will get worried and you know that tweed and sweat don't mix." 

Laura snorted. 

"Why don't you all go get Cordy and go back home." The redhead gently ushered them back upstairs. 

"Aww but…" 

"Do we HAVE to?!" 

"Nigel and Terrance sleep on the floor next to me and they *snore *!" 

"I thought we were going to sleep over HERE…" 

Shaking her head, Willow stopped all argument, 'I'd love to have you guys, but not tonight. Tell you what, ice cream on me, tomorrow, okay?" 

Enduring a few hushed shouts of jubilation, Willow firmly pointed to the stairs until the entire group had filed reluctantly up them. 

Bracing herself, she re-entered the living room. 

** 

At her entrance, Angel abruptly jumped up from his strained position, seated uncomfortably on the couch, "I-I'm sorry to come over here so late…." He began haltingly. Seeing her standing there, even if it was only her cloaked figure in a nondescript outfit, it was still emotionally unnerving. Suddenly, he began to have doubts over his purpose for visiting. 

Gently, Willow inclined her head sideways, hoping that it conveyed her acceptance. 

"I-I'd just like to speak to you." 

Whistler entered the room carrying a soda. 

"Alone." 

Spinning on his heel in mid-stride, Whistler smoothly turned and left the room again. 

As soon as the demon was gone, Angel dropped to one knee and took her hand. 

An almost involuntary thrill went through the hacker's small frame over the significance of such a pose. She quickly destroyed it on the grounds that it was an utterly immature reaction. 

"I know who you are and what you stand for and I'm sorry that you were somehow drawn into this." He said softly, from his prone position. 

Sickeningly, the redhead felt her heart stop beating. He knows who I am? As in, 'Hey Willow, nice threads. What's a mousy loser like you doing protecting a guy like me?' That kind of KNOWS? 

'I wish you'd told me in your email that you were the Immortal Watcher, but I understand that Whistler didn't want that. I promise to make this as painless and quick as possible for both of us, though." 

Nodding numbly, Willow's panic bells were going off wildly in her head even though she didn't know why. Instinctually, she leaned closer, hanging on his every word. 

Abruptly, he seized her hand harder and pulled it over his unbeating heart. Then, he started speaking in Gaelic. 

The words were flying by so rapidly that she could only guess what they meant. That is, until one word flashed through her mind and caught. 

'Release…' 

She recognized it from the soul restoration spell she'd had to perform. What would he want to release? It didn't take long for the redhead's blinding intelligence to supply an answer Me! He's trying to release me from my duties as Protector!! 

Stricken and horrified, Willow quickly jerked her hand out of Angel's grasp before he could finish and did the next thing that came to mind. 

She backhanded him across the room. 

** 

Limping slightly, Cordelia walked back in silence towards her apartment, surrounded by a circle of slayers. She didn't bother to make an effort to even look around knowing that it was unlikely any vampire would be able to successfully attack the group and that if the girls were doing anything illegal, she wouldn't be able to stop them anyway. 

How DARE they blackmail me? Manhandle me? Disobey me? She fumed in dead silence, refusing to acknowledge the real source of her anger. For all of the insults, death threats and general hysteria Cordelia had experienced with the small slayers, the worst part was feeling 'second best' when they got to see Willow. Although she intellectually understood the hacker's stronger bond to the group, it still hurt to be relegated to the back of the line. 

No, I'm not hurt because they're all little cretins and I'll be glad to see them leave anyways…right? 

Sighing loudly, Cordelia realized, with relief, that they were less than a block away from her apartment. 

"Cordelia?" 

She wrinkled her nose. NO, we couldn't have just gotten there without anything happening could we have? "Yeah, what?" 

"Uhm…." Emma stared up at her with clear blue eyes, "Thanks." And with that, the tiny girl with blond curly hair latched onto the former cheerleader with a vice-like grip. 

"Yeah, thanks. We're sorry for, like, pretending to blackmail you and stuff." Hilary quickly latched onto her other hand. 

"We never would've really ratted you out to the council either." Tracy added sincerely. 

"WE LOVE YOU CORDELIA!!!" Laura hollered as loudly as possible in an incredibly obnoxious voice before throwing her arms around the brunette's legs. 

Before she could stop them, Cordelia was literally covered with tiny bodies, preventing her from moving so much as another step. Rolling her eyes, she tried desperately to contain the smile that was twitching at the corner of her lips, "Yeah, whatever." 

"You're really, like, the coolest. I mean, you coulda said no and stuff." Teri said, 'But you didn't." 

"EVERYONE says 'no' to us," Heather sighed. 

"We never get to do anything or go anywhere." Robin nodded in agreement. 

"The Council tends to keep us 'sheltered' pretty much all the time. Most of us don't have any friends or anyone else to talk to back at home and, I mean, I know that I haven't seen my parents for the past 6 or 7 years." JR added. 

"Me neither," Eliz shrugged, "I don't really miss them, because I don't remember them too well, but getting to hang out with the rest of you guys for the past couple of days has just been the greatest." 

"It was really nice of you to bring us to meet the Immortal Watcher, we appreciate it," Carrie smiled warmly, "Oh, and I know that Laura is really sorry for shoving you in the hall like she did." 

"Huh?….Oh, yeah." The look on the raven-haired girl's face made it clear that the statement was somewhat of an afterthought. 

"So, do you forgive us?" Jessica asked hopefully. 

"Sure." The brunette tried to sound disaffected but couldn't help but feel bad for the group around her. She'd have to remember to bring it up with Willow at some point. Vaguely, she remembered how Kendra had been trained and how entirely different her experience had been compared to Buffy's. Cordelia tended to forget things like that, especially because most of the details occurred during a more self-centered stage of her life. 

"Cool. Now that we're all kosher, can I try on your silver knee-high boots when we get home?" Jessica asked again with an equal amount of hopefulness. 

"Don't push it." 

"Uhm, just kidding." 

** 

Shaking her hand slightly to bring feeling back into it, she quickly stepped over Angel's stunned form with only a small pang of guilt and stalked silently into the kitchen. 

"Whistler!" She barked harshly, her voice barely above a whisper. 

The demon started from her sudden entrance, almost choking on his soda, "Huh? What happened?" 

"I'm going to get my laptop. Hook Angel up to AOL on the computer in the living room under your screen name." 

"Yes, ma'am!" He gave her a cocky grin and a sloppy salute before sauntering out the door. "Hah! What the hell happened to you?!" he asked just before the door swung shut behind him. 

Willow heard him laughing at the vampire in the other room and sighed, allowing the guilt to wash over her. I did it AGAIN! What the heck is wrong with me?! Power…power going to the head…bad bad bad things happen…. Pushing her thoughts temporarily aside, she hurried upstairs. 

"Okay, so this grey thing is called the mouse. It makes the pointy thing on the screen go 'woosh'." Whistler took another swig of soda before staring down condesendingly at the vampire sitting at the computer, still nursing a sore jaw. 

"It wasn't funny when Cordelia did it and it still isn't funny now." Angel muttered, waiting for the line to connect. 

"She really clocked you one, huh? She's a feisty chick. I coulda warned you." 

"But you didn't." 

"What'd you do to set her off?" 

"I tried to release her from her duties." 

"Then you SO deserved it." Whistler shook his head. 

Smiling faintly, the vampire shrugged, "She's young. I didn't think she knew Gaelic that fluently." 

Pausing thoughtfully, the demon furrowed his brows, "Gaelic? Neither did I…" 

The sudden chiming of the computer put an end to the conversation as Angel quickly turned his attention to the monitor: 

***************** Instant message from: Protector1 "I'm sorry about hitting you, are you okay?" **************** 

Staring at the computer with a blank look on his face Angel slowly turned to Whistler for help. 

"Click reply and then type in the box. She's in the other room IMing you from her laptop." The demon explained. 

**************** Instant message from: Protector1 I really hope you aren't mad or anything. I mean, I don't normally get violent. I'm really an unviolent person. I'm SO sorry I hit you. I don't know what came over me.. ************************** 

Glancing up at the additional message, Angel carefully formulated his response and began gingerly hunting for the right keys. 

******************* Instant message from: Protector1 I mean, I normally don't overreact. Like, I try to stay really cool-headed. Are you really mad? Is that why you're not responding? Gosh I'm so sorry. If you want to dismiss me as your Protector, you can, but I want you to know that I really thought it was an honor to be chosen and I've let the Council know and they're…uhm…fully supporting me on this… **************** Slightly panicking as her messages became more numerous, Angel tried to reformulate his response while searching for the delete key. 

Whistler merely rolled his eyes. 

****************** Instant message from: Protector1 I also want to personally apologize for not letting you know sooner that I'm Immortal Watcher. Like, you must be really uncomfortable about this since I know that Watchers and vampires get along about as well as slayers and vampires do…LOL. (sorry, lame joke) :) Uhm….are you still mad? ****************** 

"What does lawl mean?" Angel stared expectantly up at Whistler. 

"LOL….not 'lawl' it means 'Laughing Out Loud', it's Internet lingo." The demon shrugged, "Dude, you should probably try typing something back before you give her a heart attack." 

"I'm trying, I'm trying!! She just goes so fast…" Angel stared at the keys in frustration again. 

Both men groaned at the sound of the IM chime yet again. 

******************** Instant message from: Protector1 So anyways, I'm sorry. Have I mentioned that before? Oh, and I'm sure that Whistler's really sorry for not telling you everything too. ******************* 

"No I'm not." The demon shook his head at the computer screen. 

Ignoring him, Angel rapidly sent out a short message. 

******************* Instant message from: LoungeLizrd Wait. ***************** 

Up in her room, Willow's fingers immediately froze over her keyboard and her breath caught in her throat. 

Back downstairs, blissful silence returned and with it came Angel's ability to think properly. 

******************* Instant message from: LoungeLizrd I'm bad at this. Tpying is new to me and I'm still getting the hang og it. Sorry. Just give me a second. ****************** 

The red head sighed in relief. 

******************* Instant message from: LoungeLizrd Typing. I meant to say typing. And of not og. ****************** 

She giggled softly before responding. ******************* Instant message from: Protector1 It's okay, Angel. I completely understand. ****************** 

** 

"This has just really been the best night of my life." Tracy sighed happily as Cordelia unlocked the door. 

It had been at least 5 minutes since they started but the girls seemed unable to stop gushing. 

"I know, it's like first we get to hang out with each other, and then we meet Cordelia, and then we get to meet ANGEL and then we get to meet the fricking Immortal Watcher, I mean what next…?" Laura's voice trailed off and her dark eyes widened as Cordelia pushed open the door. 

Jessica recognized the slightly frazzled looking blonde girl at the other end of the hall almost instantly. 

"Holy fucking shit, its Buffy Summers." She said softly, her eyes glazed over in disbelief. 

Cocking her head to one side, the current Slayer turned and smiled at the assembled group, "Oh, hi! You must be the slayers in training! I was wondering when you would be getting ba-," 

"OHMYGOD!!" Staring over Emma's shoulder, Hilary started screaming at the sight of her idol, "OHMYGOD, OHMYGOD, OHMYGOD!" Hopping up and down, she quickly shoved her way past her friends and took off. 

Cordelia braced herself as the tide of small squirming bodies rushed passed her into apartment, "And you'd figure it was the Backstreet Boys or something." She shook her head. 

Within seconds, the mildly frightened Slayer found herself being charged in the narrow hallway by a large contingent of screaming girls. 

"This is fucking better than Disney World!!!" Laura whooped jubilantly. 

"Buffy kicks Mickey's ass any day!" Heather shouted in response. 

"I think I liked the 'They're rushing me, what do I do now?' face on Willow better," Cordelia said thoughtfully as she watched Buffy go down at the end of the hall. 

"We still love you too, Cordelia." Carrie reminded her, having held back with the brunette. 

"You can go over there, Carrie." The brunette sighed over-dramatically, "I don't mind." 

Within seconds, the redhead had gratefully scampered off as well, leaving the former cheerleader alone at the end of the hallway. 

Still smiling. 


	6. Protector 6

**PART ELEVEN**

Willow grinned behind her mask before leaping over a headstone, her movements fluid and lithe, almost feline in the inky darkness. 

She rolled and ducked just as Angel brought his stake over her head and into the heart of the vampire that had been pursuing her. 

Pouncing up, she made eye contact with him briefly before returning into the fight raging behind her. 

Jessica, Heather and Eliz were in the process of fending off three vampires approximately twice their size while a few tweed-clad Watchers stood off to the side taking notes furiously. A bit farther away, Buffy also stood quietly, making sure that things remained under control and occasionally offering advice. 

"Eliz, if you hold the stake up a little higher, you won't need to keep covering your face and you can aim better….yeah, that's right. Keep it at eye level." The slayer nodded encouragement as the younger girl did what she was told, much to the chagrin of her opponent. Within seconds he was reduced to dust. 

"Oh yes! I kick ass!!" The slayer-in-training did a little victory dance past her friends who were still engaged in battle. 

Spotting another vampire about to sneak up on the distracted teenager, Willow quickly ran to intercept him. 

Realizing that she probably wouldn't be there in time, she quickly raised her hands up and shot off a wave of energy that sent them both flying in opposite directions. 

The unfortunate vampire crashed into his two companions, causing them to tumble into a mesh of arms and legs and making them easy prey for Jessica and Heather. 

Willow's short trip through the air ended when she crashed into the solid wall of Angel's chest. Beyond a slight grunt of surprise, he managed to easily grab her and absorb most of the impact of her flight. 

Biting off her almost automatic apology into a short squeak, she chose to save it for later when they went back to her house to compare notes over the computer. 

"You okay?" He asked just loud enough for her to hear. 

She nodded silently and patted his arm for reassurance. 

Lowering her to the ground, he sent her one of her rare grins, "Messing around with magic again? Wait til I tell Whistler…" 

She whacked his arm a little harder in playful response. 

"All right, I think that's enough for one night, girls," One of the Watchers declared in reference to the smaller slayers. He sent Willow a quick confirmatory glance. 

The hacker nodded vigorously in agreement. 

As they started to pack up, she jogged over to join Buffy, "You okay?" she whispered. 

"Yup, hang on." The blonde girl murmured back, "Angel!" She called out, "Why don't you walk everyone else home. I need to talk to the Immortal Watcher for a few secs." 

Pausing, the vampire looked at them carefully before doing what he was told. 

Buffy waited patiently until she was sure the rest of the group was gone before turning to her friend, "Willow, are you sure you're okay with all this? I mean, I know it's been over a month, but I'm still worried about you. Are you sure you don't want to have a few training sessions with Giles?" 

"Buffy…" Sighing, the hacker pulled off her mask. The past several weeks had been hard. Revealing who she was to Buffy had initially almost put the blonde girl into a state of shock, but, being resilient, the Slayer had managed to bounce back fairly quickly. She agreed to let Willow train with Whistler on the condition that she could come and observe some of the patrols during the weekends. 

Personally, Willow felt that Buffy was stretching herself a bit thin between Sunnydale and LA, but she didn't feel that she had the right to tell the Slayer what to do. Not yet, at least. 

"No, I mean, Willow, I can see that you've gotten a lot better and all and I respect what Whistler's been doing, but aren't you not supposed to be using magic?" 

"Amy told me to use my own discretion." The hacker responded, trying to keep her voice light. Even though she had assured her best friend numerous times that she could handle things on her own, Buffy still had trouble relegating her role as Slayer under Willow's supreme role as Immortal Watcher. Although she understood that it was hard for Buffy now that their positions were reversed, Willow still couldn't help but feel frustrated at times like this. 

"Yeah, well, that's not what Whistler said to me this morning." 

The hacker suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. She had managed to make peace between the two councils vying for her attention, heck, she'd even managed to get Patrick to allow the slayers in training to spend some time in LA for group patrols. All in all she was proud of her accomplishments....except for the one where Whistler became so chummy with Buffy all of a sudden. 

"Well, Amy's the witch, so I trust her." Try as she might, she couldn't keep the slightly annoyed tone out of her voice. 

Taking a deep breath, Buffy placed her hands over her eyes as if trying to clear her mind, "You know what?" she said finally, "You're right. I'm sorry. I keep doing that don't I?" 

"No, it's okay, Buffy." Almost instantly, the hacker felt bad for her abrupt behavior. 

"No, it's not okay. I mean, I guess I understand that all this is happening in my head but, it's just like…I'm seeing it and I can't believe it." 

"Believe what?" 

"That my Willow's kicking ass," Buffy grinned. 

"It's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it." The redhead responded in the most authoritative voice she could muster before both girls burst into giggles and walked off together, missing the shadow lurking in the corner and the flash of peroxide blonde hair that shone through the trees. 

** 

Settling down at the computer in her living room, Willow grabbed the keyboard and leaned back in her chair comfortably. 

'Miss me?' she typed. 

"I was worried about you, yes. What'd Buffy want?" He asked aloud after reading the message over her shoulder. 

'She just wanted to talk about…stuff.' The hacker's fingers flew over the keys. 

"Stuff you can't talk to me about?" He prodded gently. 

She swiveled slightly and noted the mischievous sparkle in his dark brown eyes. 

'Slayer/Immortal Watcher confidentiality. Sorry.' She typed unapologetically after realizing that he was just teasing her. 

"Fair enough." He responded easily, "So, what are your plans for the rest of this weekend?" 

She paused. 

'Why?' 

"I was wondering if we could fit an extra patrol in on Saturday night." 

'Oh.' She couldn't help but feel a slight amount of disappointment over the reason behind his initial question even if it was what she had been expecting. 'Actually, I'm expecting some company.' 

"Really?" He touched her shoulder inadvertently while leaning in to get a better look at the computer screen, "Can I ask who?" 

Taking a deep breath and silently praying that Whistler wouldn't choose this instant to walk in she quickly responded, 'This girl that's friends with Buffy, I think. She's coming to help Whistler with some research I guess. She's from Sunnydale so you might have known her. Willow Rosenburg?' 

"Rosenberg….b-E-r-g," Angel corrected absent-mindedly while straightening up, "Willow's coming down?" 

Oddly pleased that he caught the purposeful misspelling of her last name, the hacker nodded, 'Yeah, but it shouldn't be too big a deal. I mean, we could still fit in the extra patrol. I'm sure she wouldn't mind.' 

"No," The dark vampire shook his head, "Let's go easy this weekend. You should probably spend some time with Willow." 

'What if we just brought her along?' 

"I don't think that's a good idea." Angel's voice took on a firmer quality. 

'But I've heard she's one of Buffy's friends and that she helped with the sla-' 

Before the hacker could finish the sentence she was typing, Angel placed his hands over hers and gently swiveled her around to face him. 

"Listen, Willow's great. I knew her when I lived in Sunnydale and you're right, she did help Buffy sometimes but this isn't Sunnydale. This is LA and if something happens to her out here, I don't have the kind of knowledge and connections I did back there to be able to guarantee her safety." 

"Who's safety?' Whistler strolled into the room and eyed the couple. 

Snapping to attention, Angel released her hands and put some more distance between the two of them before responding, "Willow's. I was just told that she's coming to LA to help you research. Why didn't you let me know?" 

Whistler's eyes widened slightly and he glanced at the dark-clad figure sitting at the computer, "I didn't think the two of you were all that close." The demon responded shortly. 

A slightly tense silence settled over the room. 

"Well, it's getting late, I should be leaving." Angel finally said, bending to pick up his car keys and heading towards the door. 

"See you tomorrow after sunset." The demon responded without taking his eyes off of Willow. 

Several more moments of silence passed as the remaining pair listened to the sounds of the vampire as he got into his car and started the engine. 

As soon as the vehicle turned out of the driveway, Whistler spoke. 

"Willow Rosenberg is coming to LA to help me research?" 

Pulling her mask off her head, the hacker met his gaze unflinchingly, "Yes, she is." 

"And why, pray tell, is she doing that?" The demon responded. 

"Because she has friends she wants to see up here and she's tired of wearing a hood over her head." 

Sighing, Whistler shook his head, "Well, you've already told him that you're coming down so there's nothing I can do now." 

A slow smile spread over the hacker's face. 

"I'll let Buffy know," He continued, ignoring her obvious happiness and exiting the room. 

"Thanks, Whistler!" She called bouncing up and down in her seat. 

"You'd just better pray that you can pull off the Superman/ Clark Kent shit without Angel figuring it out." He called from the kitchen, "As dumb as he looks, he ain't no Lois Lane. You're gonna have to do a hell of a lot more than just switch between glasses and contacts." 

** 

Cordelia was just putting the finishing touches on Willow's 'casual' upswept hairstyle that had only taken half an hour to accomplish when the doorbell rang. 

"Buffy!! Can you get it? I'm busy." Cordelia shouted, her teeth clenched over a bobby pin. 

Muttering under her breath, the slayer bounded out of the guestroom with several young girls trailing her. 

"Wait Buffy! Sit down!" 

"Your makeup isn't done yet!" 

Yanking the door open, she beckoned for Giles to enter. 

"Sorry, I can't find the spare keys Cordelia lent me." The librarian began before getting a better look at his slayer, "Dear Lord, Buffy…what happened to you?" 

Blinking her blue eyeshadow laden eyes at him, she shook her head causing her numerous braids to flip flop errantly, "What are you talking about, Giles?" Leaning closer she whispered, "I'm running interference. Cordelia is helping Willow get ready and I'm distracting the…others." 

"Ready? Ready for what? I thought she was patrolling tomorrow night, not tonight." The librarian looked confused. 

"C'mon, Buffy! I haven't put the bows in yet!" Emma tugged her hand insistently 

Wincing, the slayer plastered a smile on her face and feigned enthusiasm, "Oh boy." 

"Hi Giles! Bye Giles!" Cordelia flew past the Watcher quickly, tugging Willow along at almost breakneck speed. 

"Well, hello, but, y-yes, where are you two girls…." 

The door slammed shut. 

He looked around the empty hall, "Going?" 

** 

As Cordelia's red corvette pulled up in front of their destination, she smiled, "Okay, now I'll drop you in front of the bus station and you need to get in and look for terminal number 7. Just stand near the terminal entrance. Angel is due to pick you up from there in about 20 minutes but I figure he'll be early cause he always is." 

"This is kinda silly, Cordelia." The hacker sighed and hauled her blue backpack out of the car as she opened the door. 

"No, this is a good way of making him really think that you took the bus up here to LA. Besides, it was my idea. Therefore, it is automatically genius because I'm always right. Now get out of here and haul ass to the terminal." 

"See you later, Cordelia." The hacker humored her friend with a smile and a wave as she quickly headed into the busy building. 

She was almost to her destination when she spotted a dark figure seated out of the way of the throngs of people, quietly reading a book. Her heart fell when she realized that there was little chance of her getting past him to the entrance of the terminal without getting spotted first. He must've gotten here half an hour early! She sighed. 

Looking around at the massive crowds packed into the station, she wondered how she'd even been lucky enough to spot him in the first place. Gosh, it's like I have Angel-radar or something. I'm like…like…a little pointer dog or something. 

The PA system blared the arrival of a bus and Angel absently looked up from his book. 

Quickly, Willow ducked into a nearby food kiosk and bent down to remain hidden. Guess, I'll just have to wait it out until 'my bus' gets here… 

** 

Stopped at a red light, Cordelia was hunting around for her mascara when she heard a thud. Looking up, she watched as a man fell atop the hood of her car, slid off the other side and took off running in the opposite direction. 

"Hey!" She started to yell, beeping her horn in anger when she noticed 3 or 4 burly men run around behind her car in hot pursuit. Pausing to check her rear view mirror, she suddenly recognized the man being pursued. 

Whistler. 

"Aw, shit." The brunette cursed softly before gunning her engine and hauling an illegal U-Turn in the middle of the street. 

Ignoring the angry shouts from other drivers, she took off trying to catch up with them, praying that there weren't any police nearby. She already had 2 out standing speeding tickets. 

Taking a sharp turn around the corner, she passed the pursuers and managed to catch up to Whistler just as he was about to dart through a narrow alleyway. 

"Get in!" She shouted at the demon, unlocking her doors just long enough for him to dive into the back seat. 

He barely managed to get the door slammed shut before one of the attackers came up alongside the car, growling. Another appeared directly in front of the vehicle. 

Getting a good look at the snarling, bony vices of the two men, Cordelia needed little more encouragement to press her accelerator directly to the floor and plow over them both. 

Ignoring the loud bumps as she ran over the bodies, she quickly took a right, turning onto the highway, "Cordelia Chase Search and Rescue, at your service. You'd better be glad that there weren't any police around. I would have kicked your sorry ass if I got stopped." She smiled cattily. 

There was no response from the back. 

"So, what the hell was that all about?" She asked. 

Dead silence. 

"Whistler?" She asked again, her smile fading somewhat. 

Still no response. 

Yanking down her rearview mirror, she gasped softly. "Oh my god…" 

Beaten badly, the demon was slumped over against his seat covered in a mixture of grime, sweat and blood. His shirt torn and fedora missing, he looked pale as a ghost and was completely unconscious. 

Hazarding a glance behind her to double check that what she saw was real, she quickly grabbed her cell phone and started dialing. 

"Giles? It's Cordelia." She tried to keep her voice from shaking, "I found Whistler. He's really hurt. What should I do?" 

** 

"Want me to help you with that?" 

Willow tried not to feel guilty as Angel gently took her backpack from her. 

"How was the bus ride?" he asked. 

"The bus ride was good…it was…long. Yup, really long." 

There was a slightly awkward pause as the pair tried to think of something else to say while walking to the car. 

"Well, Buffy should be at Cordelia's by the time we get there." He offered. 

"Oh, good!" Willow responded happily, "I mean, I haven't seen her…in…a…few days." 

"She would have been here except she had to help Giles take the slayers-in-training out for a short patrol and some exercise." 

"Oh, well that's fine, I understand." The redhead smiled, "I think it's great that you came to pick me up." 

He shot her a sideways glance. 

"Th-that is to say that it's good to see you. I haven't seen you in a really long time, like…ever since…." Her voice trailed off. 

"That time we killed the Mayor and blew up Sunnydale High?" He supplied dryly. 

"Yeah, around then." She sent him a sheepish smile. 

"It's good to see you too, Willow." Although he didn't smile at her, his tone softened slightly. Holding the door open, he waited for her to get in the car. 

Exhaling deeply, the hacker felt some of the tension seep out of her, "Uhm, thanks. Oh look, black leather interior….nice." 

Slightly surprised that the redhead had noticed, he nodded, "Whistler bought it for me." 

"Oh yeah, how's Whistler?" Willow asked as Angel got into the car, desperately trying to keep the conversation going. 

"He's alright as far as I know. I haven't been able to get in touch with him at all today, though." Checking his rear view mirror briefly, the vampire started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. "I'm not sure if I should take you over to Cordelia's or to the Immortal Watcher's house….do you have a preference?" 

"Preference? Me? Uhm..no." Willow squeaked the mention of her alternate ego making her somewhat nervous. "Actually," she rethought her words, "Maybe we SHOULD go to her house first." 

"Which 'her'?" Angel asked, a slight smile in his voice. 

"Oh, the…uhm..the Immortal Watcher." 

"Sounds good." 

They lapsed into companionable silence for most of the remainder of their journey. 

Just as they were pulling up to Willow's street, the hacker spoke again, "So, do you know the Immortal Watcher really well? I mean, she being your Protector and all. Are you two close friends?" She glanced at him hopefully. 

Angel chose his words carefully, "We know each other. Not as well as maybe you and Xander, but yes, we're good friends." 

Unable to help herself, Willow's face broke into a wide grin. 

"What?" The vampire asked, noting her expression. 

"Oh, oh..well, nothing. I mean, it's just nice to hear you say that…she must be really, uhm, nice." 

"Yes, yes she is." Angel responded as he turned into the driveway of the house. "Here it is. I'm not sure if anyone's home. If not, we can go to Cordelia's because Buffy should be ther-." Abruptly the vampire stopped talking. 

"Wh-what? What is it?" Anxiously, the hacker followed his gaze and her eyes came to rest on the broken upstairs window he was staring at. Then, she noted the glass strewn across the grass and pavement. It almost looked as if someone had jumped…or had been pushed out of it. 

"Willow. Wait in the car." The vampire's order was delivered so firmly that she sat frozen in her seat until he had gotten out. 

"Oh, wait, Angel, don't go. Maybe we should call Buffy!" She suddenly realized that he intended to investigate alone. 

"Just sit in the car, Willow. I'll be right back," he ordered again before closing the door and locking her in. 

"Wait!" She called, pounding on the glass, "Angel! Come back!!" Furiously, she tried to open the door or a window but the power controls wouldn't budge without the key in the ignition. 

"Angel!! There's no one in the house! I know there isn't, come back!!" But it was too late. She saw the shadow inching up behind him as he was pushing open the main door which had been left slightly ajar. 

"Look out!" She screamed. Leaning heavily down on the horn, she caught his attention just as he was attacked. 

Shouting in anguish, she watched as more and more vampires swarmed onto the scene quickly ambushing her friend. Unable to scream or claw her way out of the car, she tried a different tactic. 

Lying down so that her back was pressed firmly to the bottom of the seat, she kicked sharply up against the passenger side glass window of the car. 

After a few tries, she felt it start to give way. All of a sudden, she saw a face appear in the window just as she geared back for another shot. She froze in mid-kick. 

Spike smiled at her smugly, his game face firmly in place, his fangs gleaming dangerously in the moonlight. Sauntering causally up to the car, he yelled in to her, "I told you to watch your back, didn't I, luv?" 

Willow's eyes filled with horror. 

Slapping his hand against the glass, he smiled sadistically as he smeared blood—undoubtedly Angel's—against the pane. 

"Come and get it." He snarled, a deadly challenge gleaming in his eyes before he abruptly disappeared from her view. 

Trying to control her violent trembling, Willow gingerly pulled herself into an upright position and looked around. 

Where there had previously been an enormous fight raging before, there was now nothing. 

Spike was gone. 

So was Angel. 

Silence reigned. 

**PART TWELVE**

Opening his eyes slowly, he winced at the sharp pain caused by the gash on his forehead. 

"I think he's waking up!" A feminine voice announced. 

"Whistler, are you okay?" swiftly, another figure entered his field of view. 

Trying to get a good look at the speaker, he eventually forced the image to focus. 

"Cordelia?" He rasped softly. 

"Where does it hurt?" she prodded while looking nervously at someone out of his sight. He guessed it was either Buffy or Giles since he recognized the room as the guestroom in Cordelia's apartment. 

"Where doesn't it?" He retorted and she smiled down at him, some of the fear leaving her face. 

"I think he's gonna be okay…" She spoke to the other person in the room. 

Trying to let his broken ribs heal properly, Whistler made a valiant attempt to stay as still as possible as he spoke, "Where are Willow and Angel?" 

"They should be here any minute…" Cordelia brushed his hair gently out of his eyes, "Who did this to you? What's going on?" 

Swallowing hard, he looked up at her, "They took me by surprise. I was in the upstairs study. I don't know why they came after me, but I didn't have time to use magic." 

"How did you get away?" 

"I jumped out the attic window." 

Shock and concern flooded the pretty brunette's features yet again, "Oh my God, Whistler, do you want me to call a doctor or take you to the hospital?" 

Squeezing her hand comfortingly, he smiled, "Naw, looks worse than it really is. I'll be fine by tomorrow." 

"Cordelia, I need you now!" 

The sharp tone in Giles' voice made the young girl look up almost instantly. The librarian was staring back at her, white as a ghost, his hand over the receiver of her cell phone. 

"What's going on?" Whistler asked softly. 

"I-I don't know yet. Just wait here for a second…." 

After a few moments of hushed whispering out of Whistler's range of sight, Cordelia reappeared looking to be near tears. 

"Wait…what happened?" 

"I'll be right back. JR, stay here with him, please." 

Almost instantly, a slayer-in-training stepped up next to the brunette. 

"Cordelia…" Whistler began again. 

"Just please…don't move." At the desperate look on her face he assented giving her a slight nod before laying still. 

"It'll be okay…" JR smiled down at him comfortingly while taking his hand and patting it. 

He sighed helplessly as he heard scrambling down the hallway, followed by the door slamming shut and then silence. 

** 

It took Buffy, Giles and Cordelia nearly 10 minutes to pry the hacker out of the locked car. 

The thing that worried Cordelia the most wasn't so much the state of the house or of the yard or even the blood stain she saw on the passenger side window that nearly gave her a heart attack; it was the emotional state of Willow once they got her out. 

As Buffy and Cordelia enveloped the slight girl in a group hug, the only thing she whispered in response was, "I have a plan." 

Pulling away, the slayer looked at her with concern, "A plan for what?" 

Although red-rimmed and bloodshot, the hacker's eyes were devoid of tears, "A plan to get Angel back." 

"Willow, what happened?" Cordelia asked. 

"Spike kidnapped him." 

"Get in the car, we'll discuss this on the way back home." Giles said firmly, darting a nervous glance around the darkened yard and ushering the girls towards Cordelia's red corvette. 

"I'm going to get him back," Willow said flatly as Buffy buckled her into the back seat. 

"I'm going in with you," the slayer added, "You're not going this alone, Wills. I've fought Spike before. I know his weaknesses." 

There was a long moment of silence and the group wasn't sure if Willow was still in shock from her ordeal or if she had heard Buffy's statement, 

The redhead suddenly nodded, "Okay. Good idea." 

Slightly surprised at the lack of resistance, Buffy sent the hacker a reassuring smile. 

"Where's Whistler? I'm going to need him for this." Willow asked softly. 

"Whistler's at my place," Cordelia responded, "He's..uhm..he's been hurt." 

Taking in her friend's words quietly, the news didn't seem to throw the young girl at all. "Alright. I'll need Amy too then." 

"What do you have planned?" Giles asked carefully from the front seat. 

"You'll see." She smiled to herself, "You'll see." 

** 

"NO! Absolutely not!" Giles stormed around the apartment, furious, "I've allowed a lot, Willow. I've sat by and watched you act as Angel's Protector and I've said nothing when Whistler trained you to fight but there is absolutely no way I'm going to allow you to do this." 

"Let me see your arm," Willow whispered quietly to Whistler, effectively ignoring the librarian and his tirade. 

"Have you entirely lost your mind?" He demanded. 

"Giles, calm down." Buffy said quietly. 

"YOU stay out of this!" He pinned his slayer with a deadly glare, "If you think I'm allowing you to go into this as well you're entirely mistaken." 

Wincing slightly, Whistler watched as the hacker gently ran her fingers along his cut and bloody appendage. 

"I think it's starting to heal already. When Amy gets here, though, I'll see if she has enough power to maybe help your healing process after she fixes me up." The redhead smiled kindly at him. 

"Giles, let's go to the kitchen, I'll get you some tea and we'll talk out there." Cordelia started to direct the irate Watcher out of the room. 

"I will NOT be coddled!" He shouted, "Let go of me!" 

Firmly, Buffy took ahold of his other arm and dragged him out into the hallway. 

"I simply won't allow this. It's obscenely dangerous. So help me, if I have to lock her in her bloody room myself, I'll do it!" 

His fierce shouts echoed down the hall, growing fainter and fainter. 

"Willow," Whistler looked up at her, "I have to agree with Giles on this, I don't like it. We can get Angel back another way." 

"There isn't time." She shook her head firmly. 

"This isn't about Angel. You know that, don't you? This is about you. Spike couldn't care less about Angel. The only reason he took him without killing him is to bait you." 

"I'm not stupid, Whistler." The hacker responded quietly, "I know it's a trap." 

"Then why are you doing this, Willow?" 

When she didn't respond, he sighed. 

"Okay. Look. If you won't wait for me to heal before we try this, at least call a friend of mine. He can help you in this case. In fact, he's probably the only one who can help you in this case. The phone number is in my wallet on the table." 

Nodding, she stood to retrieve it. 

"His name is Julian." 

"And how is he going to help me?" The hacker stared at the pale yellow piece of paper in her hand. Judging from the area code, he lived in New York. 

"He's been on the C.O.E for longer than I've been around and he happens to know a lot about what you're trying to do." 

"I'll call him." She looked up at the demon, determination flashing in her dark green eyes. 

"Good luck," Whistler replied seriously, "And be careful." 

** 

Bound, gagged and blindfolded, Angel had fewer options than to stand still, conserve his energy and bide his time. 

"Well if this isn't just deja vu all over again?" 

The snide and cocky voice was all too familiar. 

"What was that? Oh, yes, I'm sorry, but you really aren't in a position to chat right now, are you mate?" 

Remaining stock still, Angel tried to concentrate on Spike's voice in order to judge his location. 

"Where am I?" The blonde vampire breathed softly into his captive's right ear. 

Involuntarily, Angel flinched. 

"Am I here?" 

His voice seemed to be coming from overhead. 

"Or am I here?" His voice now echoed from behind. 

Clenching his jaw in an attempt to keep from reacting, Angel forced his tense muscles to relax. 

"No, I think that I'm right here." 

Spike stood directly in front of Angel carrying a large crowbar. Swinging it efficiently downwards, he struck the vampire's right thigh with a resounding crack. 

The blow, while expected, was still excruciatingly painful. 

Angel let out a muffled yell. 

Watching the blood from the gash flow downwards, Spike merely smiled. 

"You know what this reminds me of? That time that Dru and I went to Spain for a week. She absolutely adored the piñatas. She couldn't get enough of the fucking things. The part that I loved the best was that the prizes were on the inside. You just need to beat hard enough." 

** 

Pacing, Willow flipped the page of the diary she was reading and almost bumped into Buffy. 

"Do you have a schedule together yet?" the Slayer asked all business. 

"Yup," Amy responded, coming into the study and setting down two hot chocolates, "Julian's ETA is in about 10 minutes. I made arrangements with some friends to get him here fast. If all goes well, we should be good to do this very soon. I'm still working the kinks out of the spell and healing Whistler at the same time, though so we might get a bit delayed. Can you be ready in about 20 minutes?" 

Buffy nodded seriously, "Yup, not a problem." 

"We still need Spike's location, though." Amy bit her lip. 

"Taken care of." Buffy sent her a bright smile, "Robin, Carrie and I went out for a group patrol and coaxed some info. The vampires here aren't as scared of Spike as the ones back home so they were more willing to talk with a stake pointed to the chest." 

"Good." The witch looked thoughtful, "Okay, so I'm going to need you to be in position in exactly 40 minutes. We'll fix Willow and send her after you as soon as possible. Don't try anything until she gets there, though, okay?" 

"Sounds like a plan, I'll go finish getting ready," Glancing worriedly at her silent red haired friend, Buffy quickly exited the study in search of Giles. 

"Willow?" Amy touched her shoulder, once Buffy was gone. 

Startled, the hacker looked up, "Sorry, what did you say?" 

"Willow, I want you to seriously think this through. I mean, although this is a great idea, I just don't want to see you get hurt. You know I have complete faith in you bu-," 

"Amy," She cut in quietly, "I know." 

The witch opened her mouth to respond but was quickly cut off yet again. 

"I know that everyone wants what's best for me but this is something that I have to do alone. I was appointed to protect him and I messed up so now I need to fix it." 

"Willow, Spike didn't kidnap Angel just for the fun of it. You need to look at the Immortal Watcher part of this. If he gets his hands on you and, goddess forbid, kills you or..or does something worse like turns you, we don't know what kind of power he could wield." 

"Amy, I know. I've though about this before." 

"Is this really worth it, Willow?" the brunette sat down next to her friend, her eyes shining with concern, "This isn't just another patrol. You're going into, like, the central base for most of the vampires in the area. AND you're going in as a-," 

"Amy!" frustrated, the hacker stood up, "You want to know if it's worth it, yes it is. I know what can happen and I know what the consequences are but that didn't stop me from staying and stealing pages out of the Mayor's Ascension books when I could have escaped and it won't stop me from getting Angel back. I don't want to die and I don't plan to. Now I need to read," turning away, Willow headed out of the room, "I'm sorry." 

The door clicked shut behind her. 

Banging her head lightly against the solid oak table she was sitting in front of, Amy sighed. 

"Me too." 

** 

"Buffy, nothing you say is going to change my mind." 

"Giles, you need to understand that this is something she feels like she needs to do." 

"I can't believe, that YOU as her best friend are allowing her to do something as absurdly deadly as this." 

"She's backed me up ever since we first met, Giles. I feel like I owe her one on this." 

"At what cost? Her life?!" The librarian was leaning against the kitchen counter, gripping it so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. 

"You forget, oh wise Watcher, that I'm going to be there with her. Right at her side." 

"No, I do, in fact remember the particulars of this entire foolhardy plan and I can honestly say that I wouldn't care if Willow went through with this accompanied by every Slayer who ever lived. She's not going in and neither are you." 

Rolling her eyes, Buffy sighed, "Giles, do I need to ditch the Council AGAIN?" 

"Buffy, you can do whatever you think is correct. Leave the Council if you wish. Willow, however doesn't have that luxury because she IS the Council. She's the Immortal Watcher and, may I remind you, she isn't immortal yet." 

"Giles." Buffy lowered her voice slightly, "I know how you feel about this. I'm worried too, but all you need to do is look at Willow's face to know that she is going to do this no matter what." 

"Buffy, I-," 

"Please." The slayer cut him off with a wave of her hand, "She'll do this with or without your blessing so give her the support she'll need to get through it. Just think about it, okay? I have to finish getting ready…" 

The two Slayer's in Training standing outside with their ears pressed to the door simply exchanged a look. 

"What do you think?" 

"I dunno. What do you think?" 

"I'm feeling…torn." 

"I like Giles…I like Willow…I don't want Willow to die, but I don't like her idea being dissed either." 

"Me neither. Then again, we also don't know what her idea is exactly." 

"I think we should have a meeting about this." 

"Agreed." 

"Hey, where are those other two Watcher guys? You know, the ones taking notes from last patrol?" 

"Not a clue. I think they went out for doughnuts." 

Rolling her dark brown eyes, Jessica sighed, "Nappy bastards." 

"Ooh." Pausing, Laura duly noted this new phrase and committed it to her growing vocabulary arsenal, "I like that one. C'mon, let's go find the others." 

** The sharp knock on the door startled Willow out of the light sleep she had slipped into. Guilty, she sent a bleary glance at the clock on the wall and made a face when she realized that she'd been out for nearly 15 minutes. 

"C-come in…" The hacker called, rubbing her eyes and readjusting her hold on the latest diary she'd started reading. Fully expecting Giles to enter the room, Willow braced herself for the inevitable argument. 

Instead, a stunningly handsome young man stuck his head into the room. 

"Excuse me for bothering you…Willow?" He asked carefully. 

Her mouth suddenly dry and her palms sweating, Willow's body promptly 'did the wacky' at the sight of this new arrival. 

"Uh, yes, hi!" Flushing a slight pink, she jumped to her feet, readjusting her skirt. 

"I'm Julian." 

Taking in the pale blonde hair, icy blue eyes and warm smile, Willow felt herself physically melting into her green converse sneakers. 

"I arranged for him to get here early." Amy poked her brunette head next to his shoulder and shot the hacker a smile, "Come on. Let's do this thing. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get in and get Angel and get out." 

** 

By the time Giles found Willow to tell her that she had his (grudging) support, the ritual was already underway. 

Standing aside so as not to get in the way, he simply watched. 

Cordelia sat cross-legged holding a bowl of herbs while JR, the only Slayer In Training deemed worthy to sit still long enough to fulfill the needed position, sat across from her, holding a candle. In the center of the protection circle sat Willow and Whistler, staring directly into eachother's eyes and chanting something so softly that the librarian couldn't quite make it out. 

Julian walked slowly around the circle, his pale blue eyes gleaming with an almost unholy light as he recited the spell Amy had so carefully patched together. 

For her part, the witch was sitting in rough triangular formation with Cordelia and JR, clutching her crystal pendant hard to her chest. 

As a howling wind picked up in the room, Giles slowly edged towards the door, intending to stay outside in case his presence was detrimental to the delicate balance within. His fingers were just curling around the knob when suddenly Amy gasped. 

The witch's hand was bleeding profusely and remnants of her crystal lay in her lap and on the floor. 

Abruptly, Willow started to slump forward just as Giles started towards the group, his heart in his throat. 

Just as he reached the edge of the circle, the wind stopped and a flash of light blinded him. 

In the midst of it all, Cordelia screamed. 

Then, pitch darkness. 

** 

Standing outside of the boarded up factory, Buffy waited in the shadows and twirled her stake nervously in her hand. She simply couldn't shake the gnawing feeling that something was very wrong. 

It was right about then that a door burst open from behind her, unceremoniously shoving her into the glare of a nearby street light. 

Slayer Sense. 

Never leave home without it. 

Before she could retreat into a safer haven, she was rushed by several snarling vampires. 

Looks like the party's gonna have to start without Wills… 

Jumping up gracefully, the Slayer latched onto the support beam attached to the street lamp and set about kicking away her attackers one by one. This tactic seemed to be working quite well up until a marginally clever vampire managed to launch up and grab her legs from behind, pulling her down. 

Grunting as she hit the ground, Buffy endured a few blows to the back and side while rolling out of reach from her attackers. 

She pounced up to a crouch, staking one of them neatly while tripping another with an outstretched leg. Pushing off with her hands, she flipped backwards over the heads of the remaining few and next to a stack of crates a few feet away. She had just managed to hop up the first few in an attempt to get away and regroup, when she felt an iron grip close in around her ankle and she was yanked harshly across the splintered wood. 

Ignoring the hot stabbing sensation that assaulted her exposed forearms, Buffy thrust her head back into the nose of the vampire trying to flip her over. Crying out in pain, he immediately released her waist and she gingerly crawled to her feet. 

The Slayer's dark blue eyes gleamed angrily as she hunted for her fallen stake. Feeling the movement of air directly behind her, she settled for a broken piece of wood among the wreckage of the crates she'd been dragged through. 

Just as her opponent launched at her, she spun around and flung the sharp sliver of wood with blinding efficiency. 

He exploded into mid-air. 

Smiling, Buffy brushed some excess dust off of her black pants and peered into the silent darkness, satisfied. 

"Well, that was easy." 

Turning around to enter the factory, she came face to face with a legion of 20 vampires, armed and reeking of bloodlust. 

Staring into their yellow gaze, she sighed Shut UP, Buffy!! Why can't I ever just shut UP? 

Backing up slightly, she entered the small circle of light that fell from the lone street lamp in the area. Quickly and with amazing precision, the vampire army she was facing surrounded her, blocking her escape from all sides. 

As the circle tightened, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise in anticipation of the impending battle. The question was, who would make the first move? 

The answer, evidently, was Willow. 

With an angry cry, the hacker dropped down from seemingly thin air, falling perfectly into position back to back with Buffy. 

"What took you so long?" The slayer muttered under her breath. 

Willow didn't respond. 

Her entrance was enough of a provocation that they were soon engulfed in a swarm of vampires. Grunting and yelling, Buffy went to work finishing off as many as she could. 

With deadly silence, the redhead did the same. 

In minutes they were able to rid themselves of most of their opponents, once again clearing a path to the factory. 

"Willow!!" Buffy called out, having been grabbed on either side by two large vampires. They threw her up against the brick wall of the factory and she slid down, slightly dazed. 

Kicking up with one foot, the redhead knocked one of her own attackers to the floor and then staked him by driving her wooden high heel into his chest. Turning, she grabbed the other and flung him into the wreckage of the crates. He accidentally staked himself trying to get out. 

Stalking over to where the two vampires had her friend pinned down, Willow quickly grabbed one by the collar, hauling him to his feet. Throwing him to the floor, she drove her heel through his back, not waiting for the telltale explosion before she pulled her foot up and turned to the other. 

Buffy had managed to stand and was doing well against this remaining vampire until the third one, who had, up until this point, mysteriously disappeared, leaped down from above, yanking the blonde with him by her hair. 

Unfortunately, he didn't get much farther than that as Willow easily staked his companion followed by him in one easy gesture. 

Sweating slightly, and out of breath, Buffy accepted the outstretched hand proffered to her. 

"Damn, Willow, where'd you learn that?' The Slayer asked with a grin. Her smile faded slightly, though, when she noted her friend's short plaid pleated skirt and white blouse, "Hey, what's with the clothes?" She asked, furrowing her brows slightly. 

Lowering her eyes, Willow didn't respond. She slowly started to turn away. 

"Hey, I mean, it's a good look on you," Buffy rushed forward, touching her shoulder, "bu-," 

With lightening speed, the hacker whipped back around, bringing the side of her fist into Buffy's head, knocking her unconscious. 

Tapping her foot lightly against the wet cement, she observed the fallen Slayer. 

"Oh, look. Now I have a gift to bring home to Spike." 

Cocking her head to one side, the ridges on her forehead became deeper and her fangs gleamed dangerously. 

"How nice." 


	7. Protector 7

**Part 13**

Amy winced as Cordelia pulled the bandage tightly around her hand, effectively staunching the blood flow. 

"That was close," Julian said, his blue eyes had returned to their natural pale color as opposed to the burning brightness they'd exhibited during the spell. 

"I don't like the way she just stalked out of here, though," Amy muttered under her breath as she inspected the dressing on her injured hand. 

"She's fine," Whistler reaffirmed with a nod, "I'd know it if she wasn't. She's alive." 

"Being alive and being sane are two entirely different things," Giles looked as if he'd aged nearly 10 years in the previous 15 minutes, "It seemed odd to me as well." 

"It might seem odd, but she's still going strong and doing what she needs to," Closing his eyes for a moment, Julian smiled, "And from what I can tell, she just got in…" 

** 

Banging loudly on the door, Willow sighed and waited impatiently to be let in. 

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." 

Turning around slowly, she smiled cattily at the speaker and pointed to the body of the Slayer slung causally over her shoulder, "Spike, look what I brought you. A house warming gift." 

"And what the fuck do you think you're doing, Pet?" He smiled at her in such a way that she could see the cold depths of his blue eyes, untouched by the expression on his face, "Do you really think that I'm that stupid? You think I'm going to fall for whatever fairy glamour that old librarian has cooked up to make you look like a vampire? Please…give me a little bit of credit here." 

The warmth in her own demeanor immediately changed as well and she abruptly dumped Buffy's body to the floor, "Don't be rude, Spike." She walked up to him boldly until they were nose to nose, "I'm not Dru and I'm not one of your random whores. I may look like that incredibly pathetic teenager you locked up in the factory when you were on one of your bullshit drunken binges but rest assured, I'm not." 

He rolled his eyes, bored but still humoring her, "And just who the hell might you be then?" 

"Why don't you ask nicely?" She responded coolly before giving him a coy wink. 

Abruptly, he geared back, his hand closed tightly into a fist, and swung into her jaw. 

With lightening speed, she caught his wrist and twisted it viciously before flinging him into a wall. 

Growling in anger, he stumbled backwards on his long black duster, attempting to get his footing as she steadily walked forward and grabbed him by the neck, hoisting him a few feet up, holding him firmly against the cold brick surface. 

"Hey, that looked kinda familiar. Maybe it's because I taught it to you, moron." 

Slipping into game face, he clawed at her arm and grabbed a fistful of her hair before she brought her other hand up and punched him hard in the nose, forcing him to release her. 

"Try it again and I'll do what I did to you when we were in Vienna." She smiled at him, the challenge in her eyes obvious. 

For a brief instant, something undefinable flickered across his dark blue eyes before quickly vanishing, "Yeah right," He drawled, eyeing her leeringly as blood dripped down his face, "And just what might that have been?" 

"There was more than one reason we called you 'Spike'," She whispered darkly, "And just think; Dru isn't here to save you this time." 

He shivered at her words involuntarily and she smiled and tightened her grip, "Don't believe me? I can prove it if you want." 

His eyes glittered as he sensed an end to the game, "So how exactly do you want me to refer to you then… Grandmother?" He asked hoarsely. 

Growling, she kneed him hard in the groin before dropping his convulsing form to the floor, "You know I fucking hate that," she responded through gritted teeth as she stepped over him and picked up Buffy, "Get up and open the door. I may have been the Master's bitch but I'm sure as hell not yours." 

Gingerly rising to his feet, Spike withdrew a long silver key. 

"Touché." 

** 

Somewhat bored and entirely forgotten, Xander Harris wandered through Cordelia's apartment aimlessly. He had been relegated to slayer sitting earlier in the night, but now that it was nearly 4am, the girls were safetly tucked away to bed. Unfortunately, with his two best friends in the world missing, he couldn't find the peace of mind to do the same. 

"Xander!" He heard a tearful voice call from the other room, "Xander! Are you still around here?" 

Turning around, he quickly entered the small lounge that doubled as a temporary bedroom for 4 of the Slayers-in Training. 

"Hey? What's up?" He whispered softly, while kneeling down. 

The delicate blonde girl sat up in her sleeping bag, looking somewhat bewildered and frightened. 

"Xander, I was just so scared!" She whimpered, her arms outstretched. 

Carefully, he cradled her in his arms and stroked her hair comfortingly, "It's okay, Teri. Nightmare?" 

"Yeah," She nodded, her eyes still brimming with unshed tears, "I was fighting this huge vampire with Emma and we were winning until suddenly she disappeared and then it was only me and I couldn't handle him on my own. I was so scared." 

"Hey, vampires are nothing to be scared of. I mean, I've seen them in action and trust me, they're scary LOOKING but usually dumb as a rock. Take Angel, for instance." 

She giggled. 

"Besides, it was just a dream. I mean, if vampires ever tried to invade this place, you'd have Emma and Heather and Robin and Tracy and all the others out in seconds. And even without them, there's always the Watchers, "He paused, "Okay, forget I said that. Uhm, worse comes to worse, Amy is two doors down and she knows some awesome spells." 

"Thanks, Xander," she stared up at him adoringly, "You're so great." 

"Hey no problem. It's something I've gotten used to," He winked at her playfully, "You okay?" 

"Yup," she nodded. 

"Well, I'll be right down the hall if you need me." 

"Okay." She whispered, giving him a timid wave as he slowly shut the door to the room. 

As soon as he was gone, she stood up and wiped away the tears in her eyes. 

"Men are so damn gullible," she muttered under her breath, stooping to pick up her makeup bag, "This is gonna be so easy. On to phase 2." 

** Surveying her surroundings, Willow sighed, "You certainly have gone downhill since Prague, haven't you? Why not just go back there. America is so dull." 

Spike cast her a sideways glance, "I thought you rather liked it." 

"I never liked it here," She turned towards him, "I was here because of the Master. America WOULD have been so much more fun if Angel hadn't brought the Slayer to spoil it all." 

"Speaking of which, would you like to see our honored guest?" the peroxide vampire gestured down a small passage. 

"I'd love to," Willow responded, still supporting Buffy's body, "First though, I'd like to see my room." 

"Will you be staying long?" 

"Not fucking likely. I'd like to stick around to see that head Watcher and a few of his underlings die slowly but after that, I'm going to Paris." 

"Underlings? Which underlings?" Spike asked curiously, "Those bumbling fools are harmless." 

"Not them, moron. They're actually stupid enough to have brought almost every Slayer in Training with them." 

"So?" Spike shrugged, "You can kill them, but they breed like rabbits. More will keep popping up all over the place." 

"Yes, but how much fun would it be for the Watcher's Council to have to deal with a Slayer called when she was 5 as opposed to 15? These girls are ripe for the picking. When I kill them, there won't be another Slayer capable of being called for at least ten years." She sighed rudely and blew an errant strand of red hair out of her eyes, "I can see that you're still as stupid as you were when I last saw you, Spike." 

"Well ducks, I wasn't the one who got herself staked, now than am I?" 

"There's a first time for everything now then isn't there Spikey?" She gave him a sugar coated smile and the teasing light in his eyes darkened. 

"You can have the main suite." 

"You're too kind." 

** 

"Ahem." 

Looking up from the dusty book on African mythology he'd been absent-mindedly thumbing through, Xander's mouth fell open. 

"So, we're finally alone," Teri smiled up at him as becomingly as possible and blinked her mascara-coated lashes. 

"Uhm, aren't you supposed to be asleep? No more nightmares, right? Better, uhm, go….Giles'll get pissed off. Little slayers need their sleep." He regarded her warily and took a step back. He hadn't been sure if it was just his imagination but he had been getting very odd signals from this slayer all night. The incident with the nightmare had made him thing he was imagining her odd behavior but for once, Xander Harris' instincts had been right on the money. 

"Oh, I don't think anyone's getting any sleep tonight," She flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder and sauntered over to him as gracefully as possible in the heels she'd managed to 'borrow' from Cordelia's closet. 

Dropping his book on the couch, Xander abruptly scooted to the other side, putting the piece of furniture directly between them, "No sleep? We-well, that's, uhm, that's a bad thing, right? Sleep is good. I think you could definitely use some. Are you okay? You're acting a little….weird." 

"You should be happy, Xander. I've chosen YOU." She smiled at him. 

"Chosen, huh?" He grinned back at her gamely, trying to hide his abject terror They pounce as soon as they can smell the fear…. "That kinda reminds me of Buffy, you know…like, she being chosen and all…kinda funny, huh? Gee, I wonder where she is right now….oh wait, I think I can hear her calling me…I'd better go into the…uh…the other room and see if she's back." 

With that, he dashed out of the room, top speed. 

Entirely unfazed, Teri stared after him, "Men….they can run, but they can't hide…" tripping slightly over her heels, she loped after him, a determined gleam in her dark blue eyes. 

** 

Bleary eyed and hungry, Angel tried to pry open his blood-encrusted eyes, wincing only slightly at the wound on his head. 

If I can just see where I am, exactly, then I have a good chance of seeing where Spike got careless. 

He had just managed his goal when the door clicked open. 

"He's right in here." The cocky British accent made Angel wince involuntarily and he fought the urge to close his eyes again, Now what? 

"Good, I've been looking forward to this." 

Immediately, his eyes widened and he stood up as best he could. It can't be… 

Without thinking, he rasped her name, "Willow?" 

As if out of a dream, she stepped into his field of view, her figure filling him with relief and fear at the same time. 

"Angel," She smiled at him, "You're awake." 

Angel felt his heart fall to his feet as bitter grief overwhelmed him. The simple tone of her voice told him all he needed to know. 

Willow, his Willow, was gone. 

"I will * kill * you for this Spike." His voice was low and deadly, "Beat me, torture me, stake me, I don't care. I've been to hell and I've come back once. I'll do it again and when I do, you'll die for turning her." 

The blonde vampire opened his mouth to respond but Willow merely waved him off and he fell into silence. 

Her dark green eyes sparkling viciously, she sauntered up to him, "Brave words from a guy who's all chained up." She cocked her head to one side and smirked, "Besides, what makes you think that Spike did this to me?" 

For a brief moment, his mind flooded with hope that perhaps this girl wasn't Willow but instead her Doppelganger and that Spike had somehow managed to do something only slightly less evil by opening up a portal between their worlds again. 

As if sensing his thoughts, the redhead leaned forward, "I'm not her, either. Do I act the same as she did? That red haired bimbo from the alternate timeline?" 

As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. While the alternate vampire Willow had been cruel and cunning, she was also somewhat flaky. Almost like a milder version of Dru. This vampire Willow seemed much more cognizant of her surroundings. 

Making her all the more dangerous. 

"So I guess the question is, Angel, who am I?" She met his tortured dark eyes unflinchingly, "Because I want you to realize that we HAVE met before." 

"Willow, I'm so sorry. You'll never know how sorry I am." He murmured, looking into her eyes, "The world lost something beautiful today an-," 

Slipping into game face, the former hacker let out a feral growl and punched him hard. 

Reeling back at the force of her blow, he blinked several times to refocus his ailing sight. 

Smiling sweetly again, she shook her head, "Naughty, Angel. When I ask you a question, I expect you to answer. Please TRY to leave the guilty brooding for later. I know it's hard for you, but for my sake, do it. Be good to mommy and she'll be good to you." 

His eyes widened and he gasped sharply. 

"Uh oh," she feigned disappointment, "I think I just gave it away…" 

"Darla." He spat her name in a dull voice, "How?" 

"Miss me after all this time and all you can ask is 'How'? You sure do know how to make a girl feel special, lover." 

"You want to play games, Darla? Fine, we can stand here all night and play games. 

"Ask me the right questions and I'll give you the right answers." She countered smoothly. 

"Why Willow?" He looked at her; his brooding gaze had shifted to barely concealed hatred, "Why take her?" 

"Well if that isn't the million dollar question? Very good Angel, I didn't think you had it in you." 

When he didn't respond, she let out a dramatic sigh. 

"Why her? Why not?" She snarled at him, "There are a few things you should never forget, Angel. One of which is that NOTHING in this world is exactly as it seems. I chose Willow because for all her mousiness on the outside, she's actually an immensely powerful host in the inside. I had a conduit to her and I took the opportunity." 

"You entered her through some kind of a spell and chose her because she's a strong witch." He stated, shaking his head in disgust. 

"No," She responded sharply and grabbed his chin, forcing him to look her in the eyes, "I chose this host because she who was on the edge of Immortality anyway. Ever bother to ask what, exactly, Willow would be helping Whistler research? Or why she'd even be needed in such a dangerous area when your Protector was already so skilled with a computer? Quite a coincidence, don't you think?" 

Angel felt her words, and their implication, hit him like a physical blow. 

"No…" 

The pain that rose from his chest was worse than anything Spike had inflicted on him. As the numbing ache spread to his extremities, his knees started to buckle. 

"That's right, lover. Less than a week from today, Willow Ann Rosenberg was going to be the next Immortal Watcher." 

"No…" he whispered again, trying to block out her words. 

"She was your advocate and your savior long before she was ever your Protector. She got you out of hell and she gave her life for you." She smiled triumphantly, "Too bad you didn't give a shit. If you had, maybe she'd still be alive." 

Engulfed in his sorrow, Angel didn't have the energy to look at her anymore. He bowed his head in shame and grief and let go of the physical world. His body dangled upright, supported solely by the chains that attached his wrists to the ceiling. 

"How's the pain, lover?" She murmured the question into his ear, "Does it hurt a lot? I hope so. You know how much I love pain." Straightening up, she turned to look at Spike, "Less messy than beating him and yet, deliciously more effective!" 

Smiling brightly, she headed towards the door, "I feel so much better now, I think I'm going to bed." 

Allowing her to pass by first, Spike silently followed her out. 

"Until tomorrow night, darling!" She called over her shoulder. 

The door bolted shut, blocking out the gentle light from the corridor. 

Angel trembled alone in the darkness. 

**PART FOURTEEN**

"Yes, so perhaps if we just-," Giles paused as the door suddenly whipped open and Xander ducked inside, firmly closing and locking it behind him. 

"Hi guys!" The dark haired boy turned to look at the group assembled behind him, "Uhm, don't mind me. Pretend like I'm not even here!" 

"Shouldn't you be asleep, Xander?" Giles asked curiously. 

Amy yawned as if to accentuate his question, "Yeah, it's kinda late…early…whatever…" 

"Nearly morning." Julian clarified, the only one in the group who didn't look even remotely tired. 

"Sleep? Who can sleep when there's work to be done?" Xander let out a nervous laugh, "Especially when I'm a workin' kinda guy. Love to work. A great worker. Work Work Work, day and night. Heck, my middle name is work. Xander 'work' Harris. That's me." 

Giles looked mildly disturbed and Amy simply rolled her eyes. 

'So yeah, I'm here to help as much as possible. What do you need me for? Some extra brains? Brawn?" He started to look desperate, "Bait??" 

"Uhm, no, Xander, I think we're all set here." Giles began, waving the boy off. 

Dropping his voice, Xander sidled up to the librarian, "Giles, PLEASE!" 

"Then again, we could always use an extra pair of hands," He amended promptly in an unnaturally loud voice. 

Amy and Julian simply looked at each other. 

"So, what's the game plan?" Xander asked, an eager smile on his face. 

** 

Stifling a yawn, Willow stalked into her suite and made her way over to the bed, "You," She snapped her fingers and pointed at one of Spike's many lackeys, "Take these and chain the Slayer up." 

Looking up in surprise, the stocky vampire hesitated for only a moment before quickly stepping forward, a hungry gleam in his eyes. 

Rolling her eyes in boredom, Willow threw the handcuffs at him and lithely drew aside. 

Brutally grabbing the slayer's right wrist, he shoved it into one of the silver shackles, snapping the bright circlet around it so tightly that the metal cut into flesh of her skin. Treating her left wrist with the same ferocity, he paused at the fresh, heady aroma of the blood welling up from Buffy's torn wounds. 

"Don't even think about it," Willow's coldly calm warning penetrated his hazy intellect just in time and he quickly pounced up off of the bed and safely away from the tempting Slayer. 

Receiving an annoyed glare from Willow, the underling quickly bowed his head in deference to her authority and made his way out of the room as fast as possible. 

"I can see you have your men well trained, Spike." She favored the peroxide vampire with an easy smile. 

He drew himself up from his languid pose against her door and carelessly flicked bits of ash from his cigarette, "You done?" 

Nodding, she smiled and showed a hint of fang, "Almost." 

"Pray tell, Darla," He cooly blew a column of smoke out, "What do you plan on doing with all this…company?" 

Willow merely shrugged and returned her attention to Buffy. 

"She's cute, isn't she, Spike?" 

Folding his arms over his chest, the blonde vampire didn't respond. 

"A little on the ditzy side, but cute nonetheless," she mused, strolling around the side of the mattress to take a seat next to the blonde girl's head, "Don't you think?" 

"She's alright," he responded dully, fixing a wary gaze on the redheaded vampiress. 

"Well, I mean, she's simply GOT to be more than just 'alright' seeing as how our dearly beloved Angel is so very very fond of her…" She let her voice trail off as a mildly sadistic gleam entered her dark green eyes, "Slayers are especially flexible, aren't they Spike? Athletic and all that." 

"I wouldn't know." He paced slowly past her. 

"Not as flexible as a vampire I'd imagine, but still better than a normal human." 

Unsure of what to make of her random comments, Spike chose to remain silent. 

"What do you think it is, Spike? What do you think makes him love her so much? I mean, it can't be her looks. She has absolutely no figure on her. I could have filled out that shirt ten times better in my old body. Besides, if he was looking for someone with those kinds of assets, why not that deliciously bitchy girl Cordelia? How much fun would it be to turn her, Spike?" She looked up at him expectantly and he merely shrugged. 

Frankly, the thought left a mildly bad taste in his mouth but he wasn't about to share his opinion. 

Sighing, she went back to stroking Buffy's hair, "I mean, it obviously wasn't the sex. You can't brag about what you can't do." 

Unable to help himself, Spike let the comment slip, "Well, he *did* lose his soul, luv." 

"Yes, that 'one moment of true happiness' bullshit," she muttered under her breath, "For all we know, he was just happy that the skanky bitch was finally giving it up." 

Suppressing the urge to snort aloud, Spike merely nodded. 

Satisfied with her explanation, Willow leaned back against the mattress, "And it definitely couldn't have been her personality. Hel-lo, the girl is about as deep as a puddle and ridiculously slow on the uptake. I'm truly shocked she's still alive at all with the amount of information that goes right over her head." Her hand paused over the Slayer's hair and she drew her fingers into a fist, firmly clutching a handful of the golden locks. 

"But such pretty blonde hair." Willow grinned, "Then again, I used to have blonde hair." 

"Yes, as I recall, you did." 

Glancing up at him, Willow's smile widened. "Just between you and me, I think she dyes it. Or, highlights it at the very least." 

"Are we going to kill her or not, Darla?" Spike asked finally, an edge of impatience in his voice. 

"God, Spike, you really don't have an ounce of creative flair at all do you?" 

"What the fuck are you talking about?" 

"Well, I'm personally interested in seeing whether or not Buffy dyes her hair." 

He rolled his eyes, "Why?" 

"Because," She pinned him with a deadly glare, "it's fun. And nothing is worth doing unless it's fun. So, are you in?" 

Her fingers flitted lightly over the zipper on Buffy's tight black pants, causing Spike's eyes to widen. 

"Or do you want to leave and let me play the game on my own?" She pouted slightly and glanced up at Spike whose eyes were still glued to where her fingers rested lightly on the Slayer's stomach. 

Before he could respond, the slayer moaned softly and shifted in her sleep. 

Bending forward, Willow's red hair grazing Buffy's pale throat as she pressed a light kiss to the other girl's lips. Sighing, she stood. "Sorry Spikey, impulse gone. I'm exhausted. Tomorrow night then?" 

Spike's blue eyes darkened, "Still a tease, eh, Darla?" 

"It's a new body." She shrugged. I'm jet lagged." 

"Of course." 

** 

Cuddling sleepily against his fluffy white pillow, Xander sank into a contented state of semi-exhaustion. 

"Are you sure you're okay?" She leaned over the edge of her bed, and looked down at him. 

He opened a sleepy eye and regarded the somewhat confused looking witch clad in a modest green t-shirt with white boxers. 

"'Okay' sleeping on the floor, I mean. Not like 'okay' mentally or anything since I already know the answer to that question…" Despite her own exhaustion and injuries she shot him a playful smile. 

"Yes, I'm fine on the floor thank you very much." He responded, choosing to ignore her jibe. "I'm just sorry that Giles' room was so crowded that you got stuck with me." 

Sighing, Amy couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt, "C'mon, Xander, you know I was just kidding. I'm just kind of wigged by this is all…you seriously won't tell me what's going on?" 

"Night, Amy." 

Rolling her eyes, she threw herself back against her own pillow and sighed. 

Suddenly, a thought occurred to the figure huddled on the ground and he coughed nervously, "Uhm, yo Amy?" 

"YES, Xander?" She responded wearily. 

"Your door IS locked, right?" 

She paused before responding, "Yes, it is, but I'd like to warn you right now that if this is some sort of weird little plan of yours, I'm not quite as zapped out as I look. Need be, I can still turn you into insta-rat." 

Biting off a more scathing response, Xander merely pulled the blanket more firmly around his shoulders, "Don't flatter yourself." 

Blushing slightly, the witch turned on her side, careful not to disturb her injured hand. 

"Freak." She muttered under her breath. 

"Get some sleep, Madison." He rumbled softly in response. 

She grinned, "'Night, Harris." 

"Night, Amy" 

"Night, Xander." 

Letting out a scream strongly remniscent to that of a girl, Xander leaped off of the floor and into Amy's bed. 

Pulling herself back into a seated position, the witch shot him a bemused smile, "Okay, although you gotta work on subtlety, I give you points for atheletic form." 

"Tell that to her!" Xander whispered harshly, clutching her arm and nodding in the direction of the door. 

"Teri? What're you doing here?" The brunette smiled at the younger girl warmly. 

"I was having some nightmares. Couldn't sleep, can I sleep in here with you and Xander?" She batted her dark blue eyes hopefully. 

As the grip on Amy's arm tightened astronomically, the witch had to grit her teeth to prevent from wincing in pain, "I'm not sure that's such a good idea, Teri. Xander and I will probably be getting up in a little while anyway and we'll have to use this room to prep for tomorrow night. It's better for you to get uninterrupted sleep, so why don't you go to Cordelia's room? I think that Heather and Eliz are in there already." Wrenching her appendage away from her dark haired companion, Amy calmly jumped off of her bed and showed the disappointed teenager to the door. 

"Goodnight, Teri," gently, she pushed the slayer-in-training into the hallway before leaning down, "You might want to go a little easier on the seduction. Men tend to get overwhelmed easily," she whispered conspiratorially, "Especially Xander." 

"You don't think he's too old for me?" Teri asked. 

Snorting softly, Amy shook her head, "I have a hard time believing that Xander's too old for anyone but then, that's really your decision to make. Besides, he's not even that cute." 

Teri quirked an eyebrow. 

Suppressing a smile, the witch glared down in mock anger, "Okay, maybe he's just a little cute but you didn't hear it from me. Now go to bed." 

Giggling, the blond girl nodded and scampered down the hall. 

Firmly closing and locking her door, Amy turned and headed back to the bed. 

"Xander, she's 12. You've got to be kidding me." 

"Can I sleep up here with you?" 

"You're joking, right?" 

"She could kick my ass, easy!" He burrowed lower beneath her blanket. 

"So can I, Xander." Rolling her eyes, she swatted at him, "Now move over, you loser, and give me some room." 

Shuffling gratefully to the side, he cleared a space for her. 

Waiting for the dark haired girl to settle in, he smiled, "Hey, Amy, have I ever mention that I love you?" 

"Shut up, Xander." 

"Consider it done." 

** 

It had been nearly 40 minutes since she'd last heard anyone enter of leave. 

Cautiously, Buffy opened her eyes and peered into the inky darkness of Darla's bedroom. Even with her slayer enhanced sight, she was still having trouble adjusting to the lack of light in the room. Moaning loudly, she paused and checked for movement in the room. 

Sensing nothing, she moaned a bit louder. 

Still nothing. 

Satisfied, she subtly started testing the strength of the metal cuffs that bound her wrists. 

Solid as ever and seemingly unbreakable. 

Sighing, the slayer relaxed her arms in resignation. She'd just have to figure out another way to get free. Tapping her fingers absent-mindedly against the links around her wrists, she paused. 

Unless… 

But it couldn't be… 

Biting her lip, she tried to get a better look at her binds but to no avail. They were locked well behind and on the post of the bed, under the level of her head. Even in light, they would have been out of her line of vision. Shrugging, she decided to take her chances. 

Gritting her teeth, Buffy clenched her fists and yanked down as hard as she could. 

With a satisfying click, the chains broke cleanly in half, releasing her hands from their awkward position. 

The Slayer was free. 

**Part Fifteen**

Angel's dark eyes flitted from the chains around his wrists to the narrow piece of metal he'd found lying on the floor a few feet away. 

Once his eyes had adjusted to the minimal light, it hadn't been too difficult to spot the small sliver which could mean his freedom. 

The difficult part would be reaching it. 

Spike wasn't stupid. He'd seen to it that both Angel's wrists and ankles were firmly shackled, giving him barely enough room to stretch his head to look up let alone attempt to move anywhere in his small chamber. 

However, after quite a few hours of feigning unconsciousness while testing his bonds, Angel was fairly certain that the chain anchoring his left wrist to the wall creaked just a bit more than the rest of his binds. If there was indeed a flaw in construction or a weak link, the vampire could conceivably wear it down more. 

Given time. 

The sharp click of a bolt being unlocked signaled a visitor and he paused in his thoughts to prepare himself for the worst. 

"Well you're looking better." 

A smirk planted firmly on her face, Willow stepped into the chamber. For Angel, Willow's voice had always been somewhat comforting. Even though in the past the hacker tended to panic more often than not, to hear her gentle babbling always made their bad situations seem a bit more bearable. If Willow still had the presence of mind to speak, well, things couldn't be quite so bad. Now, however, her voice had more of the effect of nails on a chalkboard. A shiver ran up the vampire's spine and he lowered his gaze again. 

"Then again, I always liked you in chains." 

She closed the door behind her, plunging the room back into darkness before slowly making her way towards the vampire. 

"Come now, Angel. You're not whipped already, are you?" Her whisper sent a gentle stream of cold air into his ear and he wordlessly turned his head away. 

"Seems like all brood and no play has made my Angelus a quiet boy." Her hands moved to his tattered shirt, "Let's see if we can change that." With a quick jerk of her wrists, Willow tore the soiled material off of his body and threw it aside. 

At the sensation of her hands on his bare chest, he froze, causing the muscles to stand rigid and hard under her fingertips. 

"Don't worry, sweetheart, I'm not going to force you. I never had to before, and I don't think I'm going to have to this time." 

Fixing his gaze firmly to the back wall, Angel refused to react….outwardly. Internally his mind was awhirl trying to figure out exactly what this new torture tactic was supposed to accomplish. The scene itself was definitely bizarre enough to be emotionally scarring. Angel's unwilling seduction by Darla after hours of being beaten by Spike was pushing his tolerance for abuse to the limits. But add to it the fact that Darla now wore Willow's body and the vampire was grappling simply to retain his sense of reality. 

And now, as Willow was slowly kissing her way from his jaw line to his collarbone, he was also trying to pretend he was somewhere else entirely. 

"Say the word Angel, and I'll let you out of here." She trailed her hands down his back while nipping lightly at his shoulder. "Promise to stay this time and I'll end the pain. I swear." 

Still receiving no response, she abruptly stopped and backed away from him. 

The next sound he heard was the slap of skin on skin as Willow's fist connected firmly with Angel's abdomen. The vampire bent forward with a grunt but could only move part way due to his restraints. He closed his eyes against the throbbing pain, but tried to zero in on it. Anything was better than concentrating on Darla. 

Stepping forward swiftly, Willow leaned as close to Angel as possible, this time pressing her body firmly against his own and putting her hands on his head to draw it nearer. 

"Angel, don't worry, it's me. It's Willow." Her lips were so close to his ear that they brushed it repeatedly as she spoke, "I'm sorry for hitting you but we don't have a lot of time." 

Furrowing his brow slightly, the vampire merely grunted in response. 

"I'm only pretending to be Darla to get you out of here. Spike has men outside the door who are listening in on this, so please, just play along. If you pretend to submit, I can get you out faster." 

Her words were spoken in such quick, hushed tones that a small part of the vampire almost believed in their sincerity. Opening his eyes slowly, he scrutinized her. 

To his surprise, he did indeed see his former friend reflected in her dark green orbs. 

"Okay?" She whispered eagerly while nibbling on his earlobe. 

A growl to the affirmative was all the indication he gave her that he understood. 

Pulling back, she resumed speaking in a normal voice, "You know what I find most interesting about this, though, lover? I think you actually might have had a thing for this skinny red haired loser way back when." 

Hearing those words coming out of her mouth and knowing that it was all an act, Angel couldn't believe that Willow wasn't blushing. 

"W-we…we were friends." He responded, narrowing his eyes at the vampiress. 

"Yes," she trailed her nails lightly down his chest, "so it seems that you were. But tell me, Angel, while you were out with that blonde bimbo slayer of yours, you can't honestly expect me to believe that there wasn't some part of you, no matter how small, that wasn't lusting after forbidden fruit." She paused to look down at herself while lightly running her fingers up and down her torso, "Especially when the fruit isn't half bad." 

He remained silent. 

"I mean, come on!" She chuckled, "Sure the blonde had the body, but when it comes to women, I know your real weakness has always been brains. If there was one thing I could always count on when it came to you and other women was the more clever the girl, the more dangerous she was. That's why I let Dru hang around for so long without staking her. Now, seeing as how Buffy is about equal to string cheese on the evolutionary scale, I find it very hard to believe that you weren't bored. I mean, in between your lengthy make-out sessions, you know, when you actually had to sit and listen to her drone on and on about clothes and hair and makeup, there had to have been times when you were wishing for a little more." 

When he didn't respond again, she gripped his face in her hand, forcing him to make eye contact, "Don't lie to mommy. I always know when you lie, Angel." 

The shock of suddenly seeing Darla again, in such a convincing form no less, made Angel's relief over being rescued falter. Almost accidentally, the words poured past his lips. 

"Maybe once." 

Triumphantly, Willow smiled and released him. "Let me guess, that time you saw the Doppelganger? All that leather get you excited for old times?" 

"No…" Angel slowly shook his head, "It was the time I went to her for help. The first night she invited me into her room. She was nervous but….kind. She helped me without even really knowing who I was. She trusted me. She helped a lot and was really talented with her computer. Granted, she kept talking and talking but it was…sweet." The desire to be somewhere else had become so great that he was allowing himself to be lost in the memory. 

"After which you repaid her sweetness and trust by stalking her and trying to murder her. How romantic." 

Startled out of his reverie, he flinched at the coldness of her voice. 

"Do you want redemption, Angel?" 

"Dar-," 

Shaking her head, she placed a hand over his mouth, cutting off the rest of his sentence. 

In a softer voice, she asked the question again, "Do you want redemption?" 

Not quite comprehending, he looked deeply into her eyes until realization struck. Slowly, Angel mouthed her name. 

'Willow' 

Smiling, she nodded her head and he slowly nodded his in turn. 

"Never forget that I am your only redemption." 

"You are my only redemption." He repeated slowly after her. 

"And I will save you." 

"You will save m-," 

Suddenly, she leaned forward and kissed him. 

Despite his wariness and fear, exhaustion overcame the vampire and he could do little to resist the advance. 

Breaking away for a second, Willow murmured just loud enough for him to hear. 

"I loved you enough to get you out of hell once. I know I can do it again." 

And with that, she resumed the kiss, this time pouring all of her desperation, fear and desire into it. She clung to him, as though to a lifeline, her nails digging deeply into his back as she anchored herself firmly against his body. 

The effect her words had on Angel was just as dramatic. His posture, which had been stooped in defeat for so long, shot straight up to better support her weight. For the first time in almost two days, Angel was standing on his own two feet. 

It was almost as if they had forged an emotional bond through their physical connection and through it, Angel could read Willow's emotions. The untainted love in her heart burned so strongly it seared his very soul. 

She grasped and clawed hungrily at his neck and face as he returned her kiss just as enthusiastically, straining fully against his binds. 

He wasn't quite sure exactly when it happened, but at some point during the kiss, Willow slipped into game face. Just as the heat between them burned to near feverish levels, she bit down hard into his lower lip, drawing blood. 

The action shot like electricity through his body and with one swift motion, he yanked his wrist away from the wall, breaking the slightly rusted chain. With one hand free, he brought it to tangle roughly in her hair, savoring the feel of the silken copper strands between his fingertips. 

At the sensation of his hand on the back of her head, she pulled away. 

"Willow…" her name was torn from his lips in a harsh whisper as his desire drugged gaze followed her movements. 

"Oh Angel…" She gently backed away from him, "I'm so sorry…" 

Within seconds he felt hands emerge from the darkness and resecure his chains. 

"…but Willow's dead." 


	8. Protector 8

**Part Sixteen**

Willow stretched as she sauntered down the hall, purposefully ignoring the attention she was silently receiving from Spike's men as they passed by her, on their way to complete various different tasks. 

It was nearly dawn and she had been up for the past several hours, carefully devising a plan for the next few days and essentially taking over as mistress of her grandchilde's motley group of vampires. Although Spike stayed relatively out of her way, she knew very well he was far from being submissive. He was clever and sneaky by nature and up to something. She'd just have to wait to find out exactly what that was. In the eyes of his men, however, she reigned supreme. 

It hadn't escaped their notice when their sire, sporting some vicious injuries, was half dragged into his own lair by an unknown female vampire. The very mystery and strangeness of the situation was what made them wary of her. There was no telling what she could do and since Spike was putting on an obedient front, they all followed suit. 

For the time being at least. 

If there was anything she could count on, it was the fact that in addition to being cocky and sometimes careless, Spike was also unruly and unpredictible. 

She'd just have to make sure not to wake up with a stake to her chest. 

Sighing dramatically, she pushed open the door to her chamber and entered. 

It wasn't until after she'd sat on her bed and was dutifully kicking off her heels that she noticed it. Her posture snapped to attention and she closed her eyes. 

Without turning around, she let out a quiet moan. 

"You've GOT to be shitting me." 

Buffy was gone. 

** 

"Get dressed!" 

Amy nearly fell out of bed when Giles came storming into the room. 

"What's going on?" The witch asked blearily, shooting a glance at her watch. 

It was past 8 in the morning. They'd overslept. 

"Dammit!" She groaned, half throwing herself and half tumbling over the side of the bed. She reached forward to snatch clothes out of her overnight duffle bag. 

"I need your help." The librarian responded simply. "We have a lot to prepare for tonight." 

"Oh God…" Xander merely flopped back down, the adrenaline rush from Giles' entrance was wearing off and he felt sleep overtake him, "I thought someone was dead or something…" 

The librarian removed his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose, "Not likely." 

"Get up, Xander." 

"But Buffy, we went to bed, at like, 5 or 6 in the morning, yester-," He paused in mid-whine and sat up again. "Buffy?" 

"In the flesh." The slayer grinned at him, holding up her white bandaged wrists, "Or what's left of it." 

Leaping out of bed, he stumbled through the sheets entangled between his legs and engulfed her in a huge hug. 

"What's going on?" Robin and Carrie poked their heads into the room, half awake. 

"Buffy!" slow, sleepy smiles spread over their faces and they attached themselves to the Slayer as well. "We knew you'd come back." 

"Where's Willow?" Amy asked, looking over the other girl's shoulder. 

"In a lot of trouble." Buffy responded softly. "And we don't have a lot of time. We need to move tonight." 

"What do you mean Willow's in trouble?" Laura poked her head into the room, a scowl already planted firmly on her face. 

"Why don't the three of you go wake the others?" Giles glanced at the girls, "We're going to need everyone's help to get ready." 

His words hit home and the three teenagers scampered off obediently. 

Amy, now fully dressed, took a moment to fully regard the slayer. "Buffy, what happened? Why were you gone for so long and why isn't Willow back with you?" 

Xander's sleep-addled brain also caught up with the situation just as he got one leg into his khakis. Pausing, he nearly fell over before hopping back and falling into a seated position on the bed. 

"Is she hurt? Did Spike kidnap her? Where the hell is she?" 

"I couldn't bring her with me." Buffy sighed, "Why don't you guys finish getting ready and then meet me in the kitchen? We really need to talk." 

** 

The minion let out a short howl of surprise as he felt the stake enter his heart. Seconds later, he vanished. 

"Bloody incompetent bastards. How fucking many of you are there? I didn't nearly get indigestion turning you pathetic lot to have you stand around and stare at me." 

Spinning around, Spike grabbed another underling, "Pillocks!! All of you are bloody pillocks!" Frustrated, he shoved the quaking vampire aside. 

"Nice to know that you have everything under control, Spike." Willow smirked at him from her position reclined on a sofa across the room. 

His jaw muscles clenched visibly as he turned to look at her, "I wouldn't start just now, Darla." 

Her eyes glittered dangerously, "If I was starting something with you, Spike, you wouldn't have time to warn me not to." 

Cocking his head to one side, he narrowed his gaze, "Don't get smart with me. I've had about enough of you." 

"Oh come on, it's barely even been a day." She rolled her eyes dramatically before shooting him a playful smile, "Whatever's happened to that magnificent stamina of yours?" 

There was a pause as everyone crowded in the room looked to their sire for a response. 

"Out," He howled, pushing several of his men towards the door, "Get out and find the slayer. All of you! Get out now!" 

"But sire, it's dawn already, how ar-," The vampire's question was cut off with the rather abrupt appearance of a stake in his chest. 

In seconds, the chamber cleared. 

Stalking silently over to the door, Spike slammed it shut before pacing back to his position in front of the long mahogany table stretched out across the back wall of the room. It was several moments before he spoke again and when he did, his back was to her, his words strained and clipped. 

"Never question my authority in front of my men, Darla. Angel didn't put up with it and neither will I." 

Chuckling to herself, Darla walked slowly over to the table and stopped beside him. 

"Oh, Spike," the red-head spoke with disappointment in her voice, "that's very vanilla of you. Don't tell me that those few months you spent fighting with the kinder, gentler version of your Angel have left you...soft," Willow glanced at the blond vampire's crotch to reenforce her double entendre. "Maybe Spike isn't the right nickname for you anymore. Maybe we shoud try something more apropos -- like '3-penny nail' or 'screw' -- oh wait, that won't work anymore, either. How silly of me, pouring salt into fresh wounds like that." 

"How about 'stud'? Does that work better for you," Spike bit out. 

"Well...well...well," Willow commented, accentuating her lofty tone with one elegantly raised eyebrow. "Welcome back, junior. I was wondering when the Spike I know and love...to torment...would put in an appearance." 

"The real me has always been here, which..." the blond vampire's baby blue eyes roved down the slender body before him, "...is more than I can say for a few others around here." 

The close examination of her scantily dressed form was duly noted by Willow. With only a passing nod to subtlety, the red-head shifted. The adjustment forced her weight to one leg, which in turn thrust her hip forward like a supermodel on a fashion runway. It was, in fact, an open invitation for a closer examination of her body. 

And one which Spike did not turn down. 

"So, what do you think?" Willow asked. 

"Not bad," Spike answered honestly. 

"A little bit skinnier compared to what I'm used to," she pouted. 

"Well," Spike waved a dismissive hand. "You know how these humans are today. All those stupid fad diets. I mean look at this body," he nodded in Willow's direction, "I tell you, it's thinner than a bloody Chinese waiter. 

"And you know what they say about eating Chinese..." Willow began the old saying 

"...an hour later, you're hungry again!" Willow and Spike chorused together. 

"Spike, Spike, Spike," the red-head chanted. "You've always been a rotten grand-childe, but there have been a few nanoseconds where I have missed you. But, then again, I was going through some pretty heavy immortal damnation, so, I may have just been out of my mind." 

"Hmmm," Spike commented, taking a small step forward to press his larger body tightly against Willow's back. "You know, I can remember a time or two when I *did* drive you out of your mind." 

She grinned, "Well, I see at least the ego is still intact." 

He spun her around suddenly, capturing her wrist in his cold vice-like grip, "There's a lot more than just that, Darla." 

She gasped in surprise as his other hand snaked around to rest at the base of her back and he jerked her forward, pressing their bodies tightly together. 

A slow smile blossomed on her face, "You never were big on foreplay were you, Spike?" 

The feral glint in his blue eyes deepend, "As I recall, neither were you." 

His face changed and he kissed her roughly, his fangs gently clicking against her own as their tongues mated almost violently. Pulling away from her just as abruptly, he merely smiled and hefted her up so she was seated on the table. 

Leaning forward, she blew softly into his ear. "Tell me, Spike, exactly how much do you recall?" 

She brought her legs up around his waist, intimately joining them while her hands rose up to stroke the ridges near his temple. 

"More than you'd think, pet." 

His cold mouth descended to her neck and she moaned at the sensation, arching her back slightly. His tongue swept across her clavicle and up towards the base of her jaw with almost human tenderness. His lips sensuously skimming across the soft, velvety skin of Willow's neck. In a gesture of acquiescence, she eased her head to one side, exposing her throat for Spike's attention. Smiling at his success, he slowly but surely brought his hands up, using his fingertips to trace down her arms. Shifting into his 'game face', the vampire used his sharp incisors to nibble down Willow's throat, taking care not to break the skin...yet. 

"Tell me something else, Spike…" She whispered. 

He nipped gently at her exposed flesh without responding. 

"…do you ever recall my fucking you when Angel was around ?" 

He paused in his ministrations to look up at her. 

She stared back at him emotionlessly. 

His eyes darkened but he didn't release his grip on her neck. 

"As a matter of fact, luv, no." 

"So what exactly makes you think I'm going to start now?" 

Unperturbed by her challenge, he shrugged, "Simple, pet. Your golden son's been dead for nearly a century. Angel's a gutted, simpering, pathetic nancy boy now. And that's before I even laid a finger on him." 

"And I take it that Dru's gone?" 

"Yep." The pain that flickered over his features over the mention of her name belied the casual tone of his voice. "Which leaves just you…and me." He leaned forward, his lips hovering a few tantalizing inches from her own. "So what do you say, luv?" 

Willow regarded him through half-lidded eyes. "I say that you should pick your allies very carefully, Spike." 

"Really? And why is that, Darla?" 

"Because, Spike…" 

His mouth brushed against hers gently. 

"Your jacket is on fire." 

Her words took a full second to sink in and once they did, he jerked away from her as though stung. 

"I never was one to settle for second best, Spike." With a flick of her wrist she procured the small book of matches from some hidden compartment in her shirt and flung it at the startled vampire. "Never forget that." 

Glancing behind, he noted the growing flames clinging to the back of his long duster and quickly began shrugging off the offensive garment. 

Scooting off the table, she jumped to the floor. "I'm going to go to bed." 

Grunting in frustration, he stomped on his still-smoldering jacket as she calmly turned and walked out of the room. 

As if thinking better she paused at the door, "Oh, and Spike…" 

His head snapped up yellow eyes glowing angrily. 

"Don't even think about waking me up." 

** 

"You want to blow up the cave." Xander stared at her in disbelief, "Okay, I'm sorry but how exactly is that a plan?" 

"Not just blow the whole thing up, I think we can specifically take out certain exits leaving only the ones we want open. Instead of going in and trying to maneuver through the tunnels in the dark, we can flush them out." 

"How can we be sure that we don't kill or trap Willow and Angel?" Whistler spoke up for the first time in several hours. Ever since Buffy had returned without his charges, he'd become silent and sullen. Now however, he appeared to be considering the slayer's plan. 

"Well, I was kind of hoping…" Buffy darted a look at Amy and the witch sighed. 

"Magic?" Julian supplied. 

"Yeah." 

"Uhm, hel-lo, but didn't we already try using magic less than a day ago and look how that ended up!" Xander stared at the group, slightly wild eyed and shocked. 

Placing a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder, Giles sighed, "We may not have any other options." 

Pressing her head against the firm coolness of the kitchen table, Amy covered her ears with her hands, "I just can't deal with this anymore." She whimpered miserably, "I want them back." 

"So do I, kid. So do I," Whistler said softly, "All I can tell you, though, is that I can still feel her. She's okay." 

"But she's hurting," Julian added. "A lot." 

A few of the Slayers in Training sniffled softly from their position at the entrance to the kitchen. The girls were lacking the confidence and luster they had gained over the past few weeks and as a result, the group as a whole looked haggard and worn out. Being young and inexperienced they sorely needed leadership and encouragement. With Willow missing and Buffy and the others too caught up in the whole mess to spare time on them, they felt inadequate, unneeded and generally helpless. 

Taking in this depressing scene, Cordelia felt something inside her surge forward. 

"Okay people, let's do this." 

It took a few seconds, but she waited until she had everyone's attention. 

"The longer we sit here and mope, the less time we have to-to do something." Furrowing her brow, the dark haired girl put on her best determined smile, "We've been in worse places than this before. I mean, does anyone else remember graduation day? Big icky mayor snake? Hey, I still have nightmares!" Her smile faded somewhat at the memory, "Uhm…anyways, what I'm trying to say is look at us! We have a witch, a slayer, a vampire, a demon, tons of little slayer wannabes not to mention as many stuffy librarians as we want!" 

Xander raised his hand. 

"Oh! And we have Xander too, which is…uhm….good because he can go out and get us food!" With growing enthusiasm, she slammed her fist down on the table, "Bottom line is that we kick ass! We're smart, we're strong and man are we good at blowing things up! I mean, we've done it before, haven't we?!" 

Thoughtfully, Giles nodded, "That's true." 

"Exactly! And what do they have? Vampires….lots and lots of vampires….but who cares? Buffy knows vampires! She kills them all the time!" 

The slayer shrugged, "Girl's got a point." 

"And hey, Buffy's little fan club knows vampires! They've been training for years. And let's not forget that vampires might be strong and look all badass but fundamentally they're stupid," Cordelia paused, "Present company excluded." 

"Of course." Julian nodded graciously. 

"What I'm trying to say is even though you all might be inadequate losers individually, together, you're great!" 

"I was so with you up until that part." Xander sighed. 

"We need to stop acting so pathetic, quit complaining, get up, and get this show on the road." 

A wild cheer went up from the slayers in training as they took off from the kitchen. 

"Where are they going?" Giles asked. 

"Not a clue," Amy shrugged, standing up, "Infectious enthusiasm does weird things. Okay, I have a few spells in mind but it's going to take some time." 

"I'll help." Julian nodded at the witch and the two quickly exited the kitchen. 

"I should probably call the Council. They'll most likely want to stay informed if we plan on detonating high quantities of explosives near the Immortal Watcher." Rubbing his glasses vigorously, the librarian headed for the living room. 

"Doughnuts anyone? I can do doughnuts! Giles, do you have the rat-mobile?" Xander scampered off after him. 

"Way to go Cordelia." Whistler limped over to where the tall brunette was standing and put a friendly arm around her waist. 

"Watch the skirt and yes, thank you, I know how great I am." 

"Not to mention a big rah rah to Sunnydale High. Who would have though that all those years of cheerleading would have come in handy?" 

"You know that I'm fully capable of hurting you, don't you?" She smiled at him sweetly. 

"Already so violent and I didn't even get to my pom pom joke. You wouldn't really hit a poor man who was already in a weakened physical state, would you?" 

She made a face but allowed him to lean on her for support as they too left the kitchen, "Do you really want me to answer that question?" 

He smirked at her, "Probably not." 

** 

When she awoke hours later, it was to the screams. 

The commotion in the hall was reaching an almost deafening level as vampires ran in every which way, trying to avoid heavy piles of stone and mortar which rapidly fell from the ceiling. 

Vaguely, Willow thought she heard Spike shouting her name, but she couldn't be sure. Not waiting to find out, she grabbed her necklace, slipped it over her head, and headed out into the din, dodging the occasional hysterical fledgling running in the opposite direction. She forced her way against the current of fleeing vampires, down to the torture chamber. 

And to Angel. 

She almost made it to her destination when an iron clad grip encircled her upper arm, abruptly jolting her to a stop, "Mistress Darla, the cavern is collapsing! Where are you going? There's an alternate opening this way!" 

She paused to look at one of Spike's older men who was, no doubt, worried less for her safety and more for his own hide if she were to die. 

The floor lurched again, causing him to lose hold of her arm. 

"I'm going to get what's mine. Out of my way." Pushing past him, she rounded the corner into the chamber and slammed face first into a solid wall of flesh. 

"Angel?!" 

He stood over her and paused for a moment, his eyes slightly unfocused as if he wasn't quite comprehending who she was or the source of the ruckus surrounding them. His chains, broken but still hanging from the iron circlets around his bruised wrists, swung gently in place. 

She glanced down at his arms before looking back into his eyes, "I came to get you, Sp-," 

"Bitch." He snarled suddenly, backhanding her across the hall and into the wall. 

The metal links caught her neck, causing blood to run freely down her throat. 

"Angel.." 

"You kil-killed her." Hours of torture, both emotional and physical, had clouded his ability to reason. All that was left was pain, hurt and complete and utter fury. One thing was certain in his mind, though. Darla had tricked him. Willow truly was dead. 

He stared at her as she tried to scramble up off of the floor, narrowly missing being pinned by a falling rock. 

Limping forwards, her game face firmly in place, she shook her head and growled. 

"Willow!" He howled in misery. 

"Stop!" She screamed back as he geared up for another shot at her. As if to accentuate her words, she made a shoving motion with her hands. The force of the magic that hit him seconds later sent him flying backwards down the hallway. 

A heavy cloud of dust blew from behind her signaling that a major chunk of the cave had collapsed and time was running out. 

As his head hit a piece of rock jutting from the rear exit of the cave, he thought he heard her scream again. 

"Angel…RUN!!" 

Drifting towards unconsciousness, he could do little more than moan as strong hands suddenly reached under his arms and hefted him outside into the cold night air. 

"Angel? It's okay, it's Buffy. I'm getting you out of here." 

His vision rapidly fading, he tried to get a look at the blonde slayer hovering over him. 

"..Willow…" he whispered softly. 

"Willow? Angel, where is she?" The Slayer glanced up past him, "Did you see her? Did she get out?" 

"She's…." 

Just then the entrance to the cave fully collapsed with a rather impressive deep rumble which shook the ground under his body. 

"Willow?!" Buffy screamed, quickly dropping Angel to the ground and running back, "Willow!! NO!!" 

Unable to help it any more, he succumbed to an exhausted sleep, plagued with horrible, vicious images and painful memories of the past few days. 

In his minds eye he was haunted by his last few moments with the demon that wore Willow's body. 

The terrified look in her dark green eyes outlined by the viscious ridges of her face. 

The sharp gleam of her fangs. 

The trickle of blood that ran down her slender throat after he hit her. 

But perhaps worst of all was the one thing he hadn't seen-at least not until it was much too late. 

For, as she had geared back to hit him with her wave of magic, the top button of her shirt had come undone and he had caught a quick glimpse down her blouse. 

It was right about then that he saw the cross around her neck. 

It shone brightly against the untouched paleness of her skin. 

**Part Seventeen**

Amy sighed and rolled her head forwards. 

"It wasn't your fault. You can't blame yourself." Julian gently worked into her shoulders and back, trying to relieve the seemingly boundless tension the young witch was suffering from. 

"I should have known better." She responded quietly, "I gave Willow so much flack about holding her concentration…I should have known better. I acted like a novice out there." 

"If anyone is to blame, it's me. Not you." The blonde vampire paused in mid-massage, "If I hadn't-," 

"Don't EVEN say that. Unlike me, you couldn't control your reaction." 

Amy's thoughts returned with a vengeance to the events of a few short hours ago and she let out a soft whimper. 

Whistler, Julian and she had been in perfect synch and the spell was working beautifully. Each was concentrating on their own part and a delicate yet powerful balance had been achieved. Yes, things had been going exactly according to plan up until the unexpected cave-in close to the rear exit. 

With a shout, Julian had fallen backwards and out of their circle causing Amy and Whistler to be hit full-force with magical backlash. 

Caught entirely off-guard, the situation went from bad to worse and the other two were unable to hold the spell, causing a complete collapse of the cave's structure which effectively trapped Willow inside. 

"Amy…Julian…Angel's awake." Robin whispered the words from the doorway, her gaze downcast, "He's asking for you guys." 

Her heart leaping to her throat, Amy's dark blue eyes briefly met her counterpart's paler ones before they both made their way into Cordelia's bedroom. 

"Amy." Angel's tired gaze regarded her carefully the instant she walked in, "I need answers." 

She took a deep breath, "Angel, I think you should rest…" 

"Evidently, I've been resting for the past 2 months." He tried to keep the edge of bitterness out of his voice but it was getting harder. With years of practice and experience he managed to force his own feelings of betrayal aside so as to focus on the task at hand. What was important right now was saving Willow. As long as he kept that goal firmly in sight, he could concentrate on not getting violent. "I need to know the truth. I need to know if she's dead or alive or some strange hybrid or what. Tomorrow I'm going to go and visit the oracles and I need all the facts." 

"The oracles?" The brunette looked confused. 

"A direct connection to The Powers That Be. Sometimes they'll intervene if the case is important enough." Julian slowly emerged from behind Amy and deliberately brought himself into the dark haired vampire's line of vision. 

"What…" The question died in the Angel's throat and his eyes became almost black with rage, "You…I thought you were….you killed her didn't you? This is all your fault!" Within seconds, Angel was lunging out of bed, "I'll kill you!" 

Completely shocked, Amy had little time to do anything but watch the scene play itself out. 

Luckily, Whistler entered the room with Buffy in time to stop the enraged vampire from further injuring himself. 

"Down boy, down." Placing a halting hand on Angel's chest, Whistler shot him a warning look. The demon's small size belied his strength and Angel soon found himself being firmly pushed back towards Cordelia's bed. 

"Whistler, do you have any idea who that is?" His question came through clenched teeth, "Julian was Darla's-," 

"Consort," Whistler finished, motioning for Buffy to come and help him put the vampire back under the covers. "Yes, I know. And you would have found out that I knew that if you'd given us a chance to explain before pulling an Angelus." 

The insult had it's intended effect and Angel lapsed into a shocked silence long enough for Buffy and Whistler to finish their task. 

Much like a sage master addressing his young, inexperienced charge, Whistler started talking. "Okay, so where was I?" Sitting down on the bed beside the injured vampire, he looked thoughtful, "So yeah, we're on Julian. Maybe you'd be better off hearing the explanation from the man himself." Gesturing at the other vampire, he nodded his head. 

"Hello, Angel." The blonde man's polite and calm salutation seemed to ignore the fact that the object of his greeting had threatened his life mere minutes before. "Even though we never really knew each other, I'm sure that Darla spoke about me to the point that you have a pretty good idea of the person I was." The comment was made without a hint of pride or smugness, merely a statement of a fact. 

Still eyeing the other man warily, Angel rewarded him with a curt nod. 

"However, she probably eliminated the part about how I was, in fact, only acting as her consort to gain information for the Council Of Elders." 

At the revelation of this piece of information, Angel's eyes flew up to Whistler for affirmation. 

To his credit, the demon kept his features completely neutral. 

Pausing to glance at Whistler as well, Julian continued, "I figure she did that because she didn't have a clue of my real intentions. I'm guessing that she was starting to get some indication of my lack of loyalty, be it from familiarity or some vague intuition a few decades later and that's probably part of the reason why she turned you." 

Angel snorted, "So you're trying to tell me that you were really playing for the other team all those years you were with her?" 

"Hard to believe, huh?" He shrugged casually, "I had a lot to atone for on terms of my own past. I think being with her was a way of assuaging my own guilt." A sour look crossed his handsome features, "God, that woman was SUCH a bitch…" 

Coughing slightly, Whistler chose that moment to break in, "So basically, that's the extent of Julian's involvement. He's been a member of the C.O.E. since well before you were born, Angel, and he spent most of his earlier time with us gathering intelligence on Darla. His term obviously ended when she chose another consort, namely you, and Julian risked getting killed if he stayed any longer. Since then, he's mainly been working with younger C.O.E members as a trainer and going on short reconnaissance missions. So, when this whole thing with Spike went down, I felt he was the best person to call in." 

"You used him to link Willow to Darla?" Angel asked incredulously. 

"No, nothing like that." Amy shook her head, "There was never any direct link between them." 

"*I* was linked directly to Willow." Julian responded. "Throughout her time with Spike, I've been privy to her thoughts and emotions. I've been actively feeding her information on how Darla would react in certain situations and helping her to play Spike until the two of you could escape." 

With a jolt, Angel thought back to how she had kissed him while he was in the torture chamber. Had Julian ordered her to do it? Was it all a part of the manipulative game she had to play as Darla? He had been so sure… 

Refocusing on the other man, Angel's heart swelled with hope, "Wait…if you're in contact with her, then you know where she is?" 

A grim look on his face, Julian shook his head, "Unfortunately, no. I lost contact with her during the cave in. It was so unexpected that I fell out of formation and the spell we were performing backfired. I blame myself f-," 

Amy put a hand on his shoulder stopping him, "It was no one's fault. What we think happened is that Willow got knocked unconscious unexpectedly while in the hallway and that severed her connection to Julian." 

"So she's dead?" Angel said softly, barely able to believe that the statement came out of his mouth. 

"No," Whistler shook his head firmly, "Even though Julian lost contact with her, I didn't. She's most definitely still alive." 

"What do you mean?" 

"That's the rest of the story. Giving Willow an unlimited amount of information on Darla was one half of our plan. However, she also had to look the part. To get her to appear as a vampire we needed to use the usual spells and glamour. But, to give her the strength and speed to back it up, she was sharing in my demon." Whistler paused. "And as far as I can tell our bond is still intact. If she were dead, that wouldn't be the case." 

"Can you pinpoint her location?" 

"No. My connection isn't as specific as Julian's was. In time, though, I might be able to hone in on her." 

"Why did you send her in alone?" This time, Angel couldn't conceal the accusation in his eyes, "Why not go in as a team?" 

"We couldn't guarantee your survival if we just hit Spike's lair with brute force. We brought it up, as a matter of fact, and Willow vetoed it then and there. She wasn't willing to risk anything. This whole idea was pretty much hers." 

"Besides," Buffy spoke up for the first time, "She didn't go in alone. I went in with her." 

"What happened?" 

The Slayer held up her still-bandaged wrists, "For most of the time, I was chained to her bed. Not very comfortable, might I add." 

The vampire simply stared at her blankly. 

Sighing, Buffy elaborated, "She used me to get into the building. I had left ahead of time so I didn't really know what the plan was. She took me by surprise and knocked me out. I'm guessing she presented me to Spike as a 'housewarming gift'." 

When Angel's eyes widened, the blonde girl held up her hand. 

"I thought she was evil too, up until I tried the handcuffs she had me chained to the bed with. Remember the pair with the inside release latch we used to trick Faith?" 

Angel nodded. 

"The ones she had on me were one and the same. She made sure I was put into her room and then scared the living daylights out of all of Spike's men so they left me alone. It wasn't until I got out of there that I had to deal with anyone but by then, I was almost free. It was so quiet outside that I almost got the impression she was off running interference in order to give me a chance to escape." 

His mind racing with all this new information, Angel closed his eyes and leaned back against the pillows that had been laid out for him. 

"We need to find her," he said softly. 

"We will." Amy reaffirmed. 

"I'm going to get her back, Whistler." The vampire opened his dark eyes and they were filled with determination, "I'm going in no matter what." 

"Right now you need to rest and we need to regroup," The demon responded, the tone of his voice allowing for no debate. "Like I said, she's okay now, I can feel her." 

"But Spike-," 

"Won't lay a hand on her until she's immortal, Angel. Don't be stupid. He isn't about to risk everything now, even if he has figured out what we tried to do." 

Unconvinced, his protégé merely shook his head. "That still doesn't leave us a lot of time." 

Whistler sighed, "We'll work with it. And believe me, until then she's okay. Confused and a little hurt, but overall, okay. 

** 

Spike couldn't help but smile. 

Yes, he'd lost over half of his men in the recent destruction of his lair. 

Yes, he had also lost his only home. 

But now, lounging in his new temporary abode-an abandoned apartment building, things were finally beginning to look up. 

Willow sat across from him, a puzzled look in her pretty green eyes. She was bruised and scratched from her ordeal and had a nasty bump on her head but otherwise, she seemed all right. 

"Darla…?" She murmured softly. 

"That's right, pet." He responded tenderly, "Darla." 

The name sounded vaguely familiar, yet foreign on her own tongue, "And you're sure that's what my name is?" 

Letting out a short laugh, Spike leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek, "Sweetheart, I've known you for years. I'm positive." 

"And you're…Spike?" She asked, cocking her head to one side. 

"Yes, pet, very good." Spike nodded at her, barely able to conceal his excited energy. 

The vixen and her friends had tricked him once already. He didn't know how they'd trained Willow to act as Darla so well but it didn't matter. None of that pettiness mattered because they'd failed miserably and he still had exactly what he wanted. 

"And we're…vampires?" 

"Yes, luv, sad but true." 

In fact, he had more than what he'd originally wanted. In a few days she would be immortal and he would be able to turn her in actuality. But until then, he could play their game as well. For some reason or another, Willow's fall in the cave had wiped out her memory. He had noticed it the instant he'd pulled her body from the rubble and she'd gazed upon him without any recognition or fear. Her mind was like a clean slate, just waiting for information to be etched upon it. He could mold her into anything he wanted. The options were endless. 

"And we live together in here?" 

"Well, actually, pet, this is just somewhere to tide us over until we find a more comfortable place. Our old place was destroyed by…hmmm, we'll talk about that some other time." Patting her cheek lightly, he stood up, 'Let's get you to bed now." 

Allowing herself to be lifted into his arms, she continued to stare up at him, her green eyes wide with curiosity, "So are we…brother and sister? Like, related or something?" 

Spike paused in mid stride, to give her a pained look, "Why…no…no we're not." He ducked his head and turned away as if to conceal the hurt in his eyes and she rushed on. 

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry if I've said something to-," 

"Don't worry, luv." He gently lowered her to the bed before sitting down next to her, "Your memory will come back eventually, I promise that." 

"I'm sorry, Spike. I must really be freaking you out right now seeing as how I can't remember anything." 

"It's okay." He said softly, staring off at a corner of the room, lost in thought. 

She placed a comforting arm on his shoulder, "Maybe if you tell me what our relationship was in the past, it'll help me to remember." 

There was a pause and he turned to look at her, his gaze seeming to pierce into her very soul. 

Breaking eye contact, he stood abruptly. 

"We were lovers, pet. You were my consort." 

And with that, he placed a chaste kiss on her forehead before turning out the light and leaving the room. 

"Goodnight, pet. Pleasant dreams." 


	9. Protector 9

**Part 18**   


"Go to sleep." 

"Not now, Xander." 

"Go to sleep." 

"Don't you have something else you could be doing?" 

"They're making me stay here with you, now go to sleep." 

Angel glared at the teenager, "I don't need to be babysat." 

"It's three in the afternoon. Now is not the time to play insomniac. You need to rest." 

"I need to figure out a way to get Willow-," 

"Look, man. If I blame anyone for Willow being missing, it's you, okay?" Xander let out a tired sigh, "But I know that this is how she wanted to do things and I know that the only way you're really going to be able to help her is if you get some rest." 

"Xand-," 

"Go to sleep now or I'll get Cordelia." 

Defiantly, Angel threw off the blanket and sat up, "Do whatever you feel is necessary, Xander, but right now I'm-" 

"Angel, get back into bed." 

Both men snapped up to look at the doorway. 

Cordelia surveyed the scene in front of her with a look of distaste. "I don't know what moron assigned you Angel-duty, Xander, but consider yourself relieved. I'll take over from here." 

"Fine by me. You try." Shrugging, he stood up and limped his way out of the room. 

"Close the door on your way out and, oh, Julian and Amy could probably use some research help. The watchers that are in there with them are, like, SO horrible. It's like having 5 Giles except they won't SHUT UP and they keep arguing." 

"Julian and Amy, huh?" Xander paused at the door. 

"Mhmmm.." Cordelia responded, having already returned her attention to tucking a glowering Angel back into bed. 

"Have they seemed a little…chummy to you lately?" 

Cordelia paused and shot Angel a wry smile before responding to Xander, her back still turned to him, "Chummy? 

"You know…like they've been spending a lot of time together and all…" 

"I haven't noticed." Cordelia's voice took on a sing-song quality as she smoothed the fluffy white down comforter over Angel. "Why? Jealous, Xander?" 

"No!" 

"Riiiight." She drawled, her back still turned to him. With a mildly speculative air, she drew back and eyed her work. "As usual, I rock. Don't even THINK about messing the bed up again or I'll send Laura in here with makeup." 

The vampire merely glared at her in return. 

She sighed. "Look, Angel, as much as I hate to admit it, Xander's right-you need to stay put." 

"But Cord-," 

"Here, if you won't sleep, take this journal and help with the research. I'll have one of the mini-slayers come in later with…food." The brunette couldn't help wrinkling her nose slightly at the thought of having to heat another cup of pigs' blood. "Now shut up and rest or I really will be forced to sic them on you. Have you seen Buffy? I think her head has a permanent dent from the braids." 

Dutifully pleased with the fear that lit his features, she threw him a brilliant smile before walking out. 

Once the door had closed, Angel glanced resentfully at the comforter before wordlessly picking up the book in front of him. 

He wasn't exactly stupid. He knew very well that they'd passed the book off to him in order to placate his nerves long enough for him to recover somewhat from his injuries. Lying here in bed, even with the journal in hand, wasn't doing anyone much good. Unfortunately, without a solid plan of attack or a location to strike at, there was little else he could do. 

Once he had a direction, though, Angel vowed to come out swinging. He should have staked Spike the moment he regained his soul. He knew it then just as much as he knew it now, only now, Willow was paying for his bad judgement. 

Sighing, Angel opened up the journal. Although he knew he shouldn't, he wondered where she was. He wondered whether or not Spike knew about their deception or whether she was still in control. Every time the doorbell rang, admitting yet another Watcher sent to help look for her, he couldn't help but tense and hope that it was the Immortal Watcher herself. In his heart, though, he knew that something terribly wrong must have happened or else Willow WOULD have found her way home. With Angel safe, she had no reason to stay. The only alternatives were if she was too injured to leave or being held captive, neither of which the vampire wanted to dwell on. If Spike gained the upper hand, he would turn Willow in a second. There was no doubt about it. In two short days she would turn 18 and then there would be no stopping him. 

Angel growled softly before turning the page. 

He hated feeling helpless. 

If anything, brooding over difficult subjects was his forte and lying in bed all day had given him an unfortunate amount of time to think about his situation. In the short hours he'd been afforded rest, the vampire had reexamined the past few months and still couldn't get over the fact that he hadn't caught on earlier. Everything from her long-winded, overly apologetic IM messages to her careful nurturing of the slayers-in-training practically screamed her real identity. Everything, that is, except her ability to fight. He'd never seen anything like it. Even when he fought with Buffy, he'd never experienced the same thing he felt while fighting with Willow. With the Slayer, their battles had always been structured as Buffy taking down as many vampires as she could handle and Angel picking up whoever was left. He constantly found himself looking over his shoulder, trying to ascertain if she was all right. Whether it made sense or not, a part of him was constantly distracted by her presence and concerned for her well-being. 

With Willow, fights were totally different. Instead of working independently, they worked in unison. They shared enemies and barely even needed to look at one another to know where their relative positions were. Much like an extension of himself such as an arm or a leg, he didn't worry about her. The magnitude of her ability was unquestionable. 

'I loved you enough to get you out of hell once. I know I can do it again.' 

The words that had both scared and enthralled him in that torture chamber echoed through his mind. It had taken him quite some time to fully understand their meaning, especially given the fact that he knew it was Buffy's love for him, not Willow's, that had inadvertently opened the portal that allowed him to drop back to earth. Never one to accept 'fate' as a definitive answer for anything, Angel had done a little research of his own. He knew that Willow had performed her soul restoration spell just before he was sent to hell (having a sword being rammed through one, tends to stick in one's memory) and although it hadn't prevented him from going there, it was the lifeline that had brought him back. Willow's spell had served almost like a tether between him and earth. Without it, even the amount of love Buffy had for him wouldn't have been enough to trigger the portal that sent him home. 

Given Willow's inexperience and bad luck with spellcasting, however, the obvious question was how she'd managed to pull it off. Without any additional information, he had merely assumed that she'd performed it under someone else's guidance. Perhaps Amy, for instance. But now, after having spoken briefly with Cordelia about it, he'd found out that she had performed the spell alone while in the hospital. Even having seen the miracles that took place almost daily on the Hellmouth, Angel knew that nothing happened without cause. There was no way that Willow could have completed the spell on her own. She simply didn't have the experience or the power necessary. 

So that left a very uncomfortable discrepancy within the given facts. And even though he detested such things, Angel recognized that this might not be an appropriate time to dwell on it. 

When she had come to 'visit' LA and they had been driving back from the bus station in the car, she had asked him whether or not he considered his Protector to be a friend. If there was one thing he regretted, it was that he hadn't given her a more definitive answer. Instead, he had chosen to downplay his own feelings as he often did and made their relationship sound so much more distant to him than it really was. He cherished her role as his Protector and whether or not he would openly admit it to others or even himself, he loved her dearly for it. And now he wondered what that love really meant. 

"Here's your blood." 

Angel looked up and attempted a smile at the young girl standing over him, "Thanks." Taking the warm mug from her, he returned his attention to the book he was engrossed in. 

Robin let out a weak smile in return and quickly scurried back to her friends, "Ohmygosh, he is SO hot," she gushed. 

"When our Immortal Watcher picks em, DAMN does she pick em." Hilary let out a sigh as she gazed dreamily at the vampire lying a few feet away, entirely devoted to his research and completely unaware of his growing group of admirers. 

"You think they've done it?" 

"Laura!" Robin let out a mildly outraged shriek on behalf of her missing leader, "Of course not! Willow wouldn't…well, I mean…" While Robin was busy chastising her friend, Angel shifted in bed, inadvertently exposing a large expanse of well-muscled thigh before absent-mindedly covering up again with the blanket. The slayer in training trailed off and licked her lips unconsciously, "Who knows? Maybe she did…I hope she did! If she didn't, I mean, what a waste!" 

"Do you think he's naked under that blanket?" Laura asked, standing on her tiptoes to look over Hilary's head. 

"I can't believe you people." Tracy rolled her eyes. 

"Just because you choose to be asexual does not mean that the rest of us have to, Trace," Eliz responded, also trying to get a better look at Angel past Hilary. 

"I am NOT asexual, all I'm saying is that he's, like 300 years old and a VAMPIRE an-," 

"JR!" Interrupting Tracy's indignant speech, Laura leaned over to grab the quiet dark haired girl who had been walking past them, "We need a good woman for a mission, you in?" 

Warily eyeing her colleague, JR shrugged slightly. She often didn't like to involve herself in the usually illegal activities of the rest of the group, but every so often she was willing to make an exception, "Depends on the kind of mission." 

Smirking evilly, Laura yanked the other girl closer and whispered rapidly into her ear. In seconds, JR looked like she was trying hard not to laugh. 

"So you there?" The raven haired teenager asked her co-conspirator. 

Giggling softly, JR relented. "Yeah, I'm in." 

Holding hands tightly, the two girls entered Angel's room and marched up to his bed. 

It took the vampire a few seconds to look up, but when he did he greeted them warmly, "Hi girls. Robin just gave me my blood so I don't need anything else. You guys can go off and help Amy and Whistler if you want." 

"Actually, Angel," Laura purred his name, "We were wondering if you might want us to help you in a different way. See, Whistler mentioned that there were some parts of the time while Spike kidnapped you that you don't remember." 

Putting his book down fully, Angel nodded, "Some things are still fuzzy but I told Whistler almost all of i-," 

"But see, that's where JR comes in," Laura broke in smoothly, "She can help you to remember." 

Angel silently analyzed the situation. Laura was someone he'd been warned about repeatedly. First by Cordelia, then by Giles and recently by Whistler. JR on the other hand was widely respected as the most levelheaded and mature slayer in training in the group. Most of the Watchers prayed nightly that if anyone was activated, it would be her and the Council as a whole put most of their faith and resources into her training. They had put her on an accelerated program, one which would allow her to take over as a Watcher if she wasn't called as a Slayer. JR was undoubtedly trustworthy. 

The odd combination of personalities was enough to throw anyone. 

"How can she do that?" 

JR opened her mouth to respond. 

"Well, you now how she's, like a braniac and all?" Laura rushed on. 

JR closed her mouth. 

"See, the Council has been trying this combination physical/mental exercise regime to strengthen her natural…abilities." 

Angel nodded. It sounded plausible. 

Smiling sweetly, the dark haired slayer in training let the bomb drop, "So JR'S big thing is telepathy." 

Angel nodded again before the full implication of her words sunk in, "Mind reading," he blurted out reflexively. Vaguely he hoped his voice didn't sound as panicked to the two teenagers as it had to him. 

"Yup." They responded in unison. 

"Well, since I'm a vampire," He began, thinking back to the time that Buffy had been given a similar 'gift'. 

"Her specialty is vampires." 

"Oh." He lapsed into silence. Suddenly he thought he could understand what Xander had felt like during that period of time. Angel's demon had protected him from Buffy's powers but Xander had been nearly beside himself with the knowledge that his mind was like an open book to the Slayer. He'd been unable to think of anything but the most inappropriate. Luckily, Angel had marginally more emotional control than that. 

He hoped. 

Was it his imagination or had Laura's smile become almost predatory? 

"Let's begin…JR?" She signaled to the other girl and before Angel could protest, he found himself being scrutinized by the other girl's large brown eyes. 

"Just think of something neutral but relevant as a focal point." Laura continued, "Try and clear your mind and focus on something important to the experience….like Willow, for instance." 

Unbidden, vivid memories of the 'torture session' that he'd shared with the hacker burst into his mind like a full-length Technicolor movie. 

"I-I don't think this is going to help," he managed weakly, "Why don't you two go see if Cordelia needs some help?" Although the expression on JR"s face hadn't changed to one of shock or dismay, Angel felt exceedingly uncomfortable. 

"Thinking about Willow isn't a bad thing or anything is it?" Laura stared at him innocently, "I mean, the focal point SHOULD be something that has emotion attached…" 

The image in Angel's head shifted slightly and took on more of a fantasy quality. Suddenly, he was no longer chained and bound. 

She was. 

Desperately, the vampire tried to retrain his attention on something else less…stimulating. "No, it's nothing like that, but I think you two should really go find Cor-" 

"Oh good." Laura said, breathing a sigh of relief. 

JR snorted softly to herself and Angel's eyes flew back to hers, anxiety etched in their dark depths. 

"Cordelia!" he called. 

Laura smiled leeringly, "Now just hold still." 

"Interesting….", drawled the normally quiet slayer-in-training, almost causing Angel to blush. 

"C-Cordelia!" 

"What?!" finally responding to Angel's frantic screams, the brunette teenager stuck her head in the room. Surveying the smug look on Laura's face, she sighed. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good. Normally she wouldn't mind a little bit of Angel harassment but not when he was still injured and not with Willow still missing. "Okay, everyone out!" Making shooing motion with her hands, she impatiently waved the gaggle of girls out of the room. 

"That's okay, we were done anyway, right JR?" Laura smiled at her companion. 

"Yup," she winked playfully at the distraught vampire, acting her part to the fullest before allowing herself to be swept out of the room with her friends. 

"Verdict?" Hilary asked once they were safetly out of earshot. 

JR smiled slightly and shrugged, "He seemed kind of edgy…" 

Laura rolled her eyes, "He nearly peed in his pants. Naww, they haven't done anything...." 

Tracy sighed. 

"…yet."   


**Part 19**   


It was a dream, that was for sure. 

Angel glanced around the lushly furnished room in awe. Despite the warm intimacy of his surroundings, he felt a shiver run up his spine. From the large mahogany bed to the gently crackling fireplace, the space looked almost identical to one of Angelus' old bedrooms. In fact, he was fairly sure that this room was a manifestation of just that. 

In any event, there was no question about it. There was no way in hell that his injuries had healed so quickly or that he had been somehow transported back in time to his old mansion in Prague. There was also no way in hell that he was standing in the same room as Willow, watching her nervously readjust her long white skirt with the lovely matching embroidered bodice. Even so, he had to suppress the urge to run up and hug her. 

Thus, it was necessary to remind himself that he most definitely was dreaming all this. His body was still asleep in Cordelia's bedroom, bandaged and being appropriately fussed over. He wondered when he'd fallen asleep. Not that it mattered, really. It was more of an academic curiosity. 

"You're here!" dream Willow smiled with relief, "I wasn't sure if you'd come…" 

Angel nodded silently while drinking in her dream-beauty. She looked especially fetching when she smiled. 

She patted the space next to her on the bed with a sweet, beckoning glance. He paused for a moment before lithely making his way towards her, admiring the flickering shadows the solitary light from the hearth cast upon her features. 

But this was a dream so there were no shadows. No, of course not. 

Silly him. 

Obligingly, he sat down next to her, still slightly in awe of the vivid quality of his dream. 

"We're in trouble," she whispered to him softly, as if afraid of being overheard. He used her quiet tone of voice as an excuse to lean closer to her. 

"Where are we?" Angel asked, curiosity getting the better of him, even in his dreams. 

Turning away, she gestured to a nearby window, "See for yourself." 

Following her direction, he rose quickly to get a good look outside. He was somewhat surprised to find that instead of grass and trees, there was yet another room. It was appeared considerably darker and colder than their current dwelling. The furnishings were almost Spartan and looked old and worn down. 

Reaching out, Angel ran his fingers lightly over the cold glass. "What is this?" he murmured to no one in particular. 

"It's where I'm trapped." 

He started slightly at the proximity of her voice but relaxed when he felt the weight of her body leaning against his back.   
He knew that in real life Willow would never be so bold as to physically approach him and the information was somewhat disappointing. This dream was obviously some way for his conscience to try and make amends with itself and he knew he was meant to draw comfort from it. Although the metaphor of the dark room next door was still a mystery to him, he realized that it was in his own mind and therefore, the mystery could wait. 

"I know you're mad at me. I don't blame you," she continued and he could feel the warmth of her breath against the thin cotton of his shirt but shivered as she idly traced patterns along his spine, "I'm sorry, Angel. I'm so sorry I got us into this. This is all so completely my fault. If only I'd been more honest! You wouldn't have been alone and caught off guard and Spike wouldn't have been able to torture-," She broke off for a moment and tried to still the rapid beating of her heart before continuing. "I knew it was wrong to lie to you but Whistler said that we had to because he knew…" She trailed off again and this time her hand stilled in its activity. 

"He knew what, Willow?" Angel asked patiently, turning towards her. She took one or two shuddering breaths before shaking her head almost angrily in an attempt to control her emotions. "You know you can trust me now," he responded quietly while wiping away the few tears that trailed down her face. 

"He knew that I was in l-love with you," she flushed and refused to meet his gaze as if she'd said a dirty word. Pulling out of his grasp she proceeded to pace the room, pointedly ignoring the way his dark eyes tracked her movements silently. "I guess that deep down, I knew it too, which is why I let him talk me into this whole thing. Cordelia showed me all this…stuff….documents and records of obituaries of past Protectors. She said that if I was in love with you I'd get careless and you could die. I guess she was right. I mean, look at us now!" 

"Willow, you can't blame yourself for this!" Angel protested, forgetting for a moment that this was only a dream and the woman he was comforting wasn't truly hearing his words. 

"I-I kissed you on purpose, Angel. Julian didn't tell me to do it. I did it myself." She said softly, careful to position herself as far from him as possible. "I want you to know that. And I'm sorry for…confusing you like that. It was my idea and my fault. Julian didn't have anything to do with that." 

Her words brought the surreal element of the situation crashing back to him and the vampire sighed softly. "I forgive you, Willow, I know you're sorry," he said, gazing blankly out the window again, while trying to understand why his mind had created such an intricate yet altogether unbelievable scenario to assuage itself. It was as if she was saying everything he had hoped she would which made her words even more glaringly his own creation. Wasn't the point of a dream to fool you into thinking you were awake? 

Angel couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed. He'd always thought he was more clever than this… 

"Well a-actually, I'm not." She responded. 

Well, that was unexpected and decidedly more like it, the vampire thought gleefully. 

"A-about the kiss I mean. I'm sorry for all that…uhm…other stuff," she looked like she really didn't want to go into details on that particular subject, "but not the kiss. It was something I wanted to do right then and I did and I never do stuff like that so I'm not sorry I did. I'm sorry if you're sorry that I'm not sorry, but I'm not ." 

He needed to replay her words in his head in order to obtain their full meaning amidst the dream Willow-babble, but once he did, he couldn't help but smile, "Willow, calm down." 

"I-I can't!" She looked even more flustered, "I mean, I didn't want for this to happen, Angel. You know that, right? Like, I'm not that kind of girl." 

He stared at her, amused. 

"You-you're Buffy's boyfriend!" She blurted out. "I don't want you to think this was premeditated or something." 

"Willow," He took a step towards her, amusement still dancing in his dark eyes, "You're making it sound like murder." 

"B-but it was!" She exclaimed, not noticing the fact that he was slowly progressing closer to her corner of the room, "Murder! Horrible, cold-blooded murder of a perfectly good friendship-two perfectly good friendships once Buffy finds out and I don't know how I'm going to tell her especially since she's never going to respect me again and oh God I'm the immortal Watcher and the Slayers-in-training will probably find out about it too and they'll think I'm skanky which I deserve but I swear, Angel, it wasn't-," She squeaked and looked up when she suddenly felt his hands encompass her own, "premeditated," she finished weakly, gazing up at him. Her mouth formed a small "o" and she was breathing somewhat irregularly. Whether it was from the exertion of her words or her proximity to Angel, neither was certain. 

"Okay," He started, fixing her with as intense a look of seriousness he could muster in order to give proper weight to his words, "first of all, Willow, no one could ever think you were a bad person. You did what you had to do to get me out and no one will hold that against you." 

"I wasn't doing what I had to do, I was being SELFISH!" She wailed in frustration, "I was being a horrible, evil, selfish person who wasn't even thinking about what she was supposed to be doing or who her friends were and should be SHOT-," 

"Willow!" He broke in sharply, giving the dream girl a warning look, "Stop that!" 

He waited for her to nod her head shakily before continuing. 

"Second of all, Buffy, you and me are friends and nothing is ever going to change that." 

Although the hacker looked like she desperately wanted to comment upon that statement, he didn't give her a chance. 

"Look, Willow, it's been a long time for Buffy and me. Sometimes I feel like-," he paused in an attempt to choose the right words. "Sometimes I wonder if it's fair to her that we've never discussed…moving on." 

"Oh, but Angel, Buffy loves you!" Willow's nervous energy almost instantly transferred on behalf of her friend. "She'd be heartbroken. Y-you can't! Ohmygosh, you really can't!" 

Angel sighed, all the while trying to reassure himself that this was a dream, but at the same time hesitant to confide his concerns. "Yes, but, she's young, Willow. And…well…love changes when you're young. It's holding her back. I mean, sometimes, I wonder if I'm holding her back." 

"Never. You could never hold her back by loving her. I mean, have you seen how happy she is around you? She carries so much sometimes but nobody sees that when the two of you are together." Willow smiled at him, her eyes still bright with tears, "If anything, Angel, you help her to fly." 

He shook his head, "And that's exactly why I feel like I should let her go. She can do it on her own, now. Buffy's strong. She doesn't need a crutch anymore." 

"Angel, your love for her isn't just-," 

"Willow, when I say I'm being unfair…," He averted his gaze slightly. "I don't just mean to Buffy." 

His words were followed by a long silence and when he looked back, she was gazing at him with a thoughtfulness and wisdom that was downright startling. A strange chord of recognition struck within him and suddenly Angel knew he'd seen that look before. In Merrick. For the first time since he'd found out who she really was, he felt like he was addressing the Immortal Watcher face to face. 

"Angel," Her words were soft but deliberate, "if two people are meant to happen…they happen." Her lips quirked slightly, "The universe isn't so cruel as people give it credit sometimes." 

He let the words sink in before realizing that she never made it clear exactly who she was referring to. But before he could ask, a look of tense concentration overtook her features. 

"He's back," she whispered. "Go home." 

Without warning, a bright light bathed the room, forcing Angel to close his eyes against the glare. 

By the time he'd opened them again, he was back in bed, face to face with a very concerned looking Cordelia. 

"I've been yelling your name for the past 2 minutes," she said in irritation. "Without the breathing and all I thought you were dead…well, more dead than usual." She shuddered. "Creepy." 

** 

"Darla? Darla dearest, wake up. I have a nice cup of fresh blood for you." The roughness of Spike's attempt to awaken her belied the kind words. "Bloody hell, wake up!" 

With a start, Willow opened her eyes and stared up at him, a mixture of confusion and fear in her green eyes. As the final remnants of sleep were rapidly chased from her body, she was able to focus more clearly and the fear evaporated. 

"Spike?" She sat up. "Ooh, I feel dizzy." 

"It's lack of food, dearest. Now drink up." Firmly, he placed the cup in her hands, forcing her pale white fingers to grasp it. 

Wrinkling her nose slightly, Willow took a deep breath and downed the contents. Afterwards, she had to grit her teeth to prevent herself from gagging the whole thing back up. 

Spike smiled idly at her barely masked disgust. "Now wasn't that good?" 

She managed a slight nod. 

"Wonderful, now why don't you lie still and I'll be right back to change the dressing on your wounds." 

"Okay…thanks…" She whispered as he stalked out of the room. Gingerly, she put down the red-stained cup in her hands and tried to focus on what she'd dreamt about. She thought it felt vaguely important and began to feel a strange niggling itch rise in the back of her head as if she really ought to be able to remember it. 

For the life of her, though, she could not.   
 


End file.
